Focused Ultrasound in the News
Focused ultrasound shows promise for treating Parkinson’s disease
January 2021
A new study from researchers in Spain and the USA suggests that focused ultrasound could be beneficial for patients with asymmetric Parkinson’s disease, in which symptoms are much more severe on one side of the body.
The Focus of His Energy: Neal Kassell is on a mission to bring focused ultrasound therapy to the masses
November 2020
It’s hard to talk about promoting focused ultrasound without talking about the Focused Ultrasound Foundation – and impossible to do so without focusing on Neal Kassell, MD, who has emerged as something of an evangelist-in-chief for the technology.
Ultrasound And Microbubbles: An Unusual Approach To Fighting Cancer
June 2020
A combination of ultrasound and microbubbles can be used to make small holes in the surface of cells to allow drugs or other substances to pass through. This is also one method of getting genes into cells to help treat or prevent disease, so-called "gene therapy."
Researchers at University of Maryland School of Medicine are testing ultrasound to treat neuropathic pain
April 2019
Steroid injections, nerve stimulators and spinal fusions were no match for the chronic pain in Tammy Durfee’s left side — never mind the “searing-hot poker” sensation that would jab her leg. After a decade searching for relief, a procedure in Baltimore put her pain to rest.
Ultrasound Beams and Nanoparticle Cages: Toward More Targeted Brain Treatments
March 2019
Neuroscientists have limited tools for understanding the human brain and treating its illnesses. Surgery or inserted electrodes are too invasive for most situations. Existing noninvasive technology, such as magnetic stimulation, is imprecise.
Better treatment options exist – Why don’t we use them?
February 2019
When considering treatments that can save their lives — but involve profound changes to their daily routines — millions of Americans have confronted the same frustrating reality: Why are there no better options?
Ultrasound May One Day Make the Drugs You Take More Effective. Here's How
February 2019
A startup is putting low-frequency sound waves to use with the aim of revolutionizing how drugs are delivered in the human body. Suono Bio is developing technology that uses ultrasound to push drugs directly into the human body’s cells or tissues, potentially making the drugs arrive at their intended destination more quickly and with greater effect.
Toronto researchers look at new approach for treating Alzheimer's
February 2019
Researchers in Toronto have started a new phase of a trial that they hope will one day lead to the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's disease. Using a technique developed at Sunnybrook Hospital called focused ultrasound, the researchers are opening the blood-brain barrier in several areas of the brains of patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease.
Ultrasound targeting the brain is poised to revolutionize the treatment for Parkinson’s
May 2018
Roughly 10 million people in the United States suffer from some sort of tremor disorder, whether that's essential tremor or the tremors resulting from Parkinson's disease. But a noninvasive treatment option that uses focused ultrasound to mitigate the effects of essential tremor is making its way into hospitals worldwide.
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New ultrasound treatment stops essential tremors
February 2018
Tim Dobbyn suffered from violent tremors that made it challenging to work, cook, or even drink without spilling. NBC News followed Tim as he underwent focused ultrasound therapy at the University of Maryland Medical Center. After a few days post-treatment, Tim says his hand is “rock steady.”
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The Second Coming of Ultrasound
January 2018
Learn how researchers are using this 100-year-old technology to battle challenging medical conditions in the modern day.
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Why Best-Selling Author John Grisham Wants to Massively Disrupt Healthcare
January 2018
Following the Foundation's participation in CES 2018, Forbes reports on the technology and the impact of John Grisham's The Tumor.
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We know sound soothes us. But what if it could kill a tumour?
March 2017
Foundation Chairman, Neal Kassell, MD, poses this question on the World Economic Forum blog and alerts their global audience to the potential of focused ultrasound to improve outcomes for patients.
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The Revolutionary Promise of Focused Ultrasound
February 2017
Josh Wolfe of Forbes interviews Foundation Chairman, Neal Kassell, MD, about the promise of focused ultrasound technology and his vision for the Foundation.
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Technological Breakthroughs for Noninvasive Treatments
December 2016
Alexandra Lebenthal and Dr. Michael Kaplitt of Weill Cornell Medicine discuss Alexandra’s focused ultrasound treatment for essential tremor.
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Brain Surgery That Takes on Tremors Without a Drill
November 2016
A new, noninvasive surgery, using a procedure called focused ultrasound, minimizes the risk of hemorrhage and infection and has been working in many cases, as an article in the New England Journal of Medicine attested in August.
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Essential Tremor Treatment
October 2016
In this video, neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Kaplitt and patient Alexandra Lebenthal discuss new advances in treating essential tremor, a nerve disorder.
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Focused on a Cause
May 2016
The Focused Ultrasound Foundation, and chairman Neal F. Kassell, MD, are featured on the cover of the annual Generous Virginians issue of Virginia Business.
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How an obscure medical technology caught the eye of Joe Biden – and John Grisham
April 2016
Doctors usually treat essential tremor with medication, but the drugs don’t work well for all patients. Now a new trial finds that a treatment using focused ultrasound to kill off neurons in a certain region of the brain can do away with tremors in some patients who don’t respond to drugs.
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Ultrasound Brain Surgery
October 2013
On “Trust Me I’m a Doctor,” Surgeon Gabriel Weston witnesses an incredible brain surgery using only focused beams of ultrasound, performed as part of a clinical trial at the University of Virginia.
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