June 2016 - Osteoid Osteoma Treatment Guidelines and More…

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NEWSLETTER
June 2016


Osteoid Osteoma Treatment Guidelines


FOUNDATION NEWS

Symposium Moderators Announced

Sanjay Gupta Reports on FUS in Everyday Health

Spread the Word to White Out Cancer


RESEARCH NEWS

FUS Experts Featured at National Blood-Brain Barrier Meetings

Radiology Today Covers FUS

COMPARE-UF Study Now Enrolling

Functional Neurosurgeons Learn about FUS

2nd Quarter Research Award – Liver Cancer

Research Award Update – Delivering Stem Cells to the Brain

Research Roundup


JTU

Acoustic Neuromodulation


INDUSTRY NEWS

SonoCloud Allows Chemotherapy to Reach Glioblastomas

Fibroid Education Center Launches Curawave


MEDIA COVERAGE

Breast Fibroadenoma Study and more…


EVENTS

AAPM and more…

Osteoid Osteoma Treatment Guidelines Now Available
 


   

   
 
The first guidelines for using focused ultrasound to treat osteoid osteoma, a small and painful type of benign bone tumor, have now been published in the Journal of Therapeutic Ultrasound. In the paper, the authors recommend creating a multi-disciplinary team of physicians to manage and treat the often young patients who present with these tumors. The comprehensive guidelines, which have been developed in conjunction with the clinical trial for the Philips Sonalleve focused ultrasound system, provide a framework for patient selection (diagnosis, imaging, preparation, and planning) and treatment. Final thoughts discuss avoiding complications and analyzing outcomes.

“Although the treatment is still under investigation, we are putting out these best practices guidelines to maximize outcomes, reduce variability across treatment sites, and encourage the addition of new sites,” said Michael J. Temple, MD. “We also make suggestions for a patient-centered outcomes registry and future comparative studies.”
 

   

   
Jack was the first pediatric
patient in North America to
have focused ultrasound
Because it is noninvasive and radiation-free, focused ultrasound could replace the current standards of care: percutaneous radiofrequency (RF) or laser thermal ablation.

“This paper is really an expert consensus statement,” said Suzanne LeBlang, MD, the Foundation’s Chief Medical Officer. “The international authors from five institutions each bring considerable focused ultrasound experience, and we have combined that experience to outline the factors that should lead to the best technical success and excellent patient response.” 

The Foundation funded the pilot study that contributed to the formation of these guidelines and has recently funded new research at UCSF for a comparative study with RF ablation that is likely to start next year. Stanford and possibly one other site will participate in that project. READ MORE >


READ THE GUIDELINES >
FOUNDATION NEWS


Early Bird registration ends July 18.

REGISTER NOW >

Symposium Session Moderators Announced

An impressive group of leaders in the field will moderate presentations and discussions within their areas of expertise. The list of 23 includes representatives from academia, industry, and government.

MEET THE MODERATORS >

The Symposium’s preliminary program is also available, outlining the topics for each day. Monday will focus on Neurological Disorders, while Tuesday covers Cancer and Benign Tumors. Musculoskeletal, Cardiovascular, Emerging Applications, and Women’s Health will fill Wednesday’s lineup, and Thursday will conclude with topics around Commercial Success.

VIEW THE PROGRAM >


TV host Dr. Sanjay Gupta
 

Dr. Sanjay Gupta Asks if FUS is the Next Big Thing

Reporting for Everyday Health, Dr. Sanjay Gupta follows Kimberly, whose Parkinson's symptoms were reduced following the experimental procedure. He explains the technology and then describes how focused ultrasound was used to improve Kimberly’s quality of life and stop the dyskinesia resulting from her treatment for Parkinson's disease.

WATCH NOW >

Spread the Word to White Out Cancer

June is Cancer Immunotherapy Awareness Month. The Foundation staff wore white in support of the Cancer Research Institute’s #WhiteOutCancer Campaign. Pre-clinical studies have led us to believe that focused ultrasound has a potential role in assisting cancer immunotherapy, and we can see how its impact could change the future of cancer treatment. Join us in whiting out cancer! Follow the Foundation on Facebook and Twitter.

RESEARCH NEWS


Nearly 100 people attended the event, and more than 150 watched the live video cast, which is now available on demand.

WATCH THE VIDEO CAST >

NIH Blood-Brain Barrier Workshop Features FUS Experts

A Trans-Agency Blood-Brain Interface Workshop designed to encourage discussion and foster future collaborations was held June 7-8 at the NIH Neuroscience Center. Experts from multiple fields identified key challenges and made recommendations for moving forward in the treatment of a broad range of central nervous system disorders, including traumatic brain injury, stroke, primary and metastatic brain cancers, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Two focused ultrasound expert presentations included data from studies funded by the Foundation: Todd Mainprize (BBB opening clinical trial) and Justin Hanes (nanoparticle and gene delivery across the BBB). 

READ MORE > 


 

FUS Experts Speak at World Preclinical Blood-Brain Barrier Conference

The World Preclinical Congress on Blood-Brain Barrier was held June 15-16 in Boston. Approximately 125 attendees listened to Kullervo Hynynen, PhD (University of Toronto) and Zsofia Kovacs, PhD (NIH) discuss their experiences using focused ultrasound to open the BBB. The meeting also centered on the need to develop small molecules that can cross the BBB with favorable potency and efficacy.

READ MORE >


 

Radiology Today: What’s Next For MRgFUS?

“When it comes to MR-guided focused ultrasound, is there nothing it can’t do?” That is the question asked in the feature story of Radiology Today’s June issue. The story covers current and future indications, the challenges of reimbursement, and future outlook. ISTU is mentioned as a resource for focused ultrasound information and international collaboration, and the Foundation’s role in pushing the development of the technology is also highlighted.

READ MORE >


VIEW IMAGE LARGER >

Fibroid Relief and other stakeholder groups provided input into the study design and patient materials for the registry, called “Comparing Options for Management: Patient-Centered Results for Uterine Fibroids (COMPARE-UF).”

FUS Included in Federally Funded Study Comparing Fibroid Treatments

Researchers at Duke have launched a 10,000-patient nationwide, multi-year registry to collect treatment benefit data from women with symptomatic uterine fibroids. Patients will help determine which strategies are most effective, and focused ultrasound is included as one of six treatment options.

Enrollment is currently underway at clinics affiliated with nine medical centers across the country. Participants will be asked annually about their treatments, outcomes, and quality of life. The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is funding the study with a $20 million grant. The large group of involved stakeholders includes patients, clinicians, and representatives from clinical research organizations, professional societies, industry, insurance companies, and federal agencies.

READ MORE >



 

Functional Neurosurgeons Learn About FUS

During the American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery meeting held this week in Chicago, a trio of international focused ultrasound experts shared the results from two ongoing clinical trials in essential tremor (ET) and participated in a special session on state-of-the-art lesioning techniques. More than 350 neurosurgeons attended the ET abstract sessions presented by Drs. Daniel Jeanmonod (SoniModul AG, Solothurn, Switzerland) and Ryder Gwinn (Swedish Medical Center, Seattle, WA). The following day, various lesioning techniques were discussed, and Dr. W. Jeffrey Elias described his experience using focused ultrasound for ET.

READ MORE >


Juergen Willmann
 

2nd Quarter Research Award – Genetically Reprogramming Liver Cancer

Can primary liver tumors be genetically reprogrammed to stop growing and not return? These questions are being asked by Juergen Willmann, MD, and his group at Stanford. Because new approaches for treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are critically needed, the Foundation’s research awards program has selected this project for 2nd quarter funding. The pre-clinical study uses a focused ultrasound and microbubble delivery platform to introduce the microRNA to the liver tumor. Guided by a roadmap predicting the treatment outcomes in real-time, the adjustable approach allows delivery to the entire tumor volume.


Paul Fishman

"The Foundation’s support of this project has allowed us to be successful in obtaining funding from the VA to continue the work.– Paul Fishman
 

Foundation Funded Research Update

Stem cell delivery into the brain has the potential to provide new therapeutic options for Parkinson’s and other neurological disorders. In his project, titled Enhancement of FUS Mediated Delivery of Stem Cells to Brain, Paul S. Fishman, MD, PhD, and his team at the University of Maryland tried to determine if magnetically labeling these cells could enhance delivery after opening the blood-brain barrier (BBB) with focused ultrasound. If effective, this method would vastly improve the current invasive technique for injecting these cells directly into the brain. How did the team determine the most efficient method for attracting and releasing the cells in their target tissue?

READ THE FINAL REPORT >



 

Research Roundup

Researchers in Spain found that using focused ultrasound to deliver a brain-derived neurotrophic factor improved stroke recovery in rats. See Biomaterials >

What if focused ultrasound could be used to treat recurrent rectal cancer? Canadian scientists led by Kullervo Hynynen evaluated this possibility in pre-clinical experiments. See the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics >

Is it possible that breathing-induced organ motion could replace electronic steering during focused ultrasound treatment of tumors in moving organs? A Swiss group’s feasibility study may answer some questions. See Physics in Medicine and Biology >



 

JTU Article of the Month – The Science of Acoustic Neuromodulation

Scientists at Harvard University have published biophysical models to examine how acoustic energy might influence or modulate neurons. They studied the electrical, chemical, and electro-mechanical coupling mechanisms to create new hypotheses that might explain mechanical aspects associated with neuronal activity. Read Acoustic Neuromodulation from a Basic Science Prospective >

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INDUSTRY NEWS


Carthera SonoCloud Safely Allows Chemotherapy to Reach Glioblastomas

In its first-in-human clinical trial that included 17 patients, Carthera’s SonoCloud pulsed ultrasound device safely and effectively opened the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to allow chemotherapy to reach recurrent glioblastoma tumors. These promising results were recently published in Science Translational Medicine.

Researchers activated the surgically implanted ultrasound device only during the treatment sessions, at escalating doses, to disrupt the BBB long enough for chemotherapy to reach the brain. The approach was well tolerated and showed evidence of effectiveness, although the report cautions that, “the potential efficacy of the treatment cannot be determined with respect to constraints of phase one study design and unknown variables of each patient history.”

This news has been picked up by MIT Technology Review, ScienceAlert.com, Becker’s Hospital Review, and Everyday Health.


Suzanne LeBlang explains treatment options to the crowd


Curawave is a new name for focused ultrasound treatment of uterine fibroids.

Fibroid Education Center Launches Curawave in Florida

With grant support from Insightec and promotional assistance from Fibroid Relief, the newly formed Fibroid Education Center held an event on June 12 in Boca Raton to launch its “Curawave” focused ultrasound treatment center. Nearly 300 people gathered at the Mizner Park Cultural Center to listen to presentations by radiologist Dr. Suzanne LeBlang and OB-GYN Dr. Rebecca Stern on uterine anatomy, surgical treatment options, and the Curawave focused ultrasound method. At the conclusion of the event, about half of the 200 fibroid patients who attended said they would like to be contacted by the center to determine if they are a candidate for Curawave.

READ MORE >

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MEDIA COVERAGE
How Patient Groups Have Begun To Influence The Value And Coverage Debate on Health Affairs Blog 6/10/16

Study Uses Theraclion's Ultrasound Technology for Breast Fibroadenoma on DOTmed.com 6/9/16

Treating Prostate Cancer without Side Effects on IndianaStar.com 6/6/16

Researchers Publish Free Open-Source-Focused Ultrasound System Online on DOTmed.com 6/1/16

Theraclion Announces Strong Uptake in Echotherapy Treatments on DOTmed.com 5/25/16

What is HIFU Treatment for Prostate Cancer? on FoxNews.com 5/24/16

Israel-Ontario Agreements to Promote Advancements in Life Sciences on Ontario.ca 5/24/16
EVENTS
Upcoming Meetings

July 31 – August 4, 2016 American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Annual Meeting, Washington, DC

August 28-September 1, 2016 5th International Symposium on Focused Ultrasound, Bethesda, MD

September 21-24, 2016 International Congress of Radiology (ICR), Buenos Aires, Argentina

September 24-28, 2016 Congress of Neurological Surgeons, San Diego, CA

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