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The CDMRP recently listed several funding opportunities that may be of interest to the focused ultrasound community. Up to $9 million is available for Parkinson’s research, and more than $1 million is available for rare cancer research in three grant programs.

The annual AIUM meeting was held March 12-16, in San Diego, CA. Two scientific sessions featured recent focused ultrasound research.

Key Points Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) uses focused ultrasound to activate agents that accumulate in tumor cells and cause cell death.Cancer Letters recently published a comprehensive review of SDT, including for primary and metastatic tumors, the agents used, combination therapies, and the proposed cellular mechanisms behind the therapy. Sonodynamic Therapy: Rapid Progress and New Opportunities for Non-Invasive Tumor Cell Killing with Sound Rich Price, PhD, and his team at the University of Virginia recently wrote a comprehensive mini-review article about the status of sonodynamic therapy (SDT). In SDT, focused ultrasound is used to activate sonosensitizing agents, which selectively accumulate in tumor cells. When activated with focused ultrasound, sonosensitizers control tumor growth by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). The presence of ROS kills tumor cells. Unlike chemotherapy, SDT does not produce off-target effects or toxicities; however, SDT can be combined with chemotherapy or immunotherapy. “Recently, there have been a handful of excellent review articles on SDT, but they have tended to focus on specific neoplasms,” said Dr. Price. “In this paper, we wanted to cover this rapidly expanding field in a more comprehensive fashion, albeit while staying concise. In particular, we emphasize how SDT may synergize with immunotherapy, a combination that we believe is especially promising.” The article describes all SDT studies for primary and metastatic tumors, the sonosensitizers used for SDT, combination therapies, and the proposed cellular mechanisms behind SDT. Within the field of immunotherapy, SDT holds promise to promote anti-tumor immunity. See Cancer Letters >

Key Points Researchers sought to improve the way that focused ultrasound is used to open the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in preclinical studies.The group synthesized, compared, and analyzed two protein binders that weaken the BBB before applying ultrasound energy.Pretreatment incubation of tight junction proteins with clinically suitable binders may improve BBB opening and increase the therapeutic window. Claudin-5 Binder Enhances Focused Ultrasound–Mediated Opening in an In Vitro Blood-Brain Barrier Model To improve the way that focused ultrasound is used to open the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in laboratory studies, Jürgen Götz and his team at Queensland Brain Institute sought the use of cellular binders to weaken the contacts between the cells that form the BBB before applying the ultrasound energy. In the BBB, claudins are integral membrane proteins that help seal the cleft between adjacent brain microvascular endothelial cells. With the goal of increasing permeability in the BBB cells, the research team synthesized, compared, and analyzed two claudin-5 binders that weaken the BBB. The testing included both single and combination treatments wherein the group measured transendothelial electrical resistance and cargo leakage and analyzed confocal images. When incubated over an extended period, the binders’ influence on BBB opening depended on the amount of incubation time and the concentration of the binder. The group concluded that pretreatment incubation of tight junction proteins with clinically suitable binders may facilitate safer and more effective ultrasound-mediated BBB opening in cellular and animal systems. They also hypothesized that the technique may be translatable to humans. First author Liyu Chen suggests that this may be important for broadening the therapeutic window of focused ultrasound BBB opening for delivery of the next generation of drugs. See Theranostics >