Key Points
- Last year’s most-clicked articles included news about clinical research for brain tumors, addiction, and Alzheimer’s.
- Readers were also interested in the Foundation’s new podcast and an episode of 60 Minutes.
1. New England Journal of Medicine: Focused Ultrasound May Help Clear Alzheimer’s Disease Plaques
January 2024
Preliminary results from a clinical trial testing focused ultrasound–induced blood-brain barrier (BBB) opening with drug delivery in three patients with Alzheimer’s disease were published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine. The first-in-human clinical trial was led by Ali Rezai, MD, at the West Virginia University Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute.
2. First Participant Receives Sonodynamic Therapy for Glioblastoma in New Clinical Trial
March 2024
Sonodynamic therapy uses focused ultrasound to activate sonosensitive agents that accumulate in tumor cells and cause cell death. This is the first clinical trial in the US for patients with recurrent glioblastoma that uses the mobile NaviFUS device, which combines neuronavigation with a noninvasive focused ultrasound system.
3. 60 Minutes Features Focused Ultrasound for Alzheimer’s and Addiction
January 2024
The popular and highly acclaimed televison show featured innovative focused ultrasound research that is addressing Alzheimer’s disease and drug addiction. During the 26-minute-long segment, two patients shared their stories of how focused ultrasound has impacted their lives.
4. Histotripsy Plus Cancer Immunotherapy Clinical Trial Begins in the Netherlands
September 2024
The first participant has been treated in a clinical trial investigating the use of focused ultrasound histotripsy plus immunotherapy to address metastatic or unresectable cancers at University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands. The Focused Ultrasound Foundation is co-funding the treatment of the first six participants in the study.
5. Recurrent Glioblastoma Clinical Trial Results of SonoCloud-9 Plus Chemotherapy
April 2024
Final results from Carthera’s international phase I/II clinical trial in patients with recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM) were published in Nature Communications. Dose escalation to nine emitters was safe, and the device was efficacious in providing 90% BBB disruption in a larger volume around the rGBM treatment area. The median overall survival rate was higher in the group that received carboplatin before blood-brain barrier disruption.
6. Chronic Pain and Depression: Two Focused Ultrasound Clinical Trials Published
November 2024
SPIRE’s DIADEM neuromodulation device delivers low-intensity focused ultrasound to selectively and controllably modulate the deep brain circuits involved in chronic pain and depression. The company published clinical trial results from using DIADEM in patients with these conditions.
7. Focused Ultrasound for Glioblastoma: Carthera Launches Large Comparative Trial
February 2024
A new clinical trial is comparing the use of Carthera’s SonoCloud-9 implantable ultrasound device plus chemotherapy to standard-of-care therapies in patients with recurrent glioblastoma. The study will ultimately enroll 560 participants at 40 sites throughout the US and Europe. Learn more about this clinical trial in our recent Q&A article.
8. Focused Ultrasound for Psychiatric Disorders: Workshop White Paper Now Available
September 2024
In June, the Focused Ultrasound in Psychiatry Symposium was held in Toronto and hosted by the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre team. The educational workshop gathered a diverse group of experts to discuss the use of focused ultrasound to treat psychiatric disorders and develop a roadmap for moving forward to advance the technology. A white paper was published to summarize the outcomes.
9. Foundation Receives $15 Million Anonymous Challenge Gift
July 2024
A generous anonymous donor pledged a $15 million gift to be matched one-for-one. The Foundation is currently funding over 130 projects with a total budget of approximately $20 million. When fulfilled, this $30 million infusion will accelerate vital research and advance focused ultrasound technologies to clinical application.
10. The Focused Ultrasound Foundation Launches New Podcast, Curing with Sound
March 2024
The Foundation’s biweekly Curing with Sound podcast covers a variety of topics, including patient stories, technical advances from leading researchers, and insights from innovators in the field. The most popular episode features the Foundation’s chairman Neal F. Kassell, MD, who shares his story from unconventional student to renowned neurosurgeon.