Reinventing Ultrasound

For more than a century, ultrasound bas been employed in a wide range of technological applications, including medical imaging. In more recent years, it was found that the contrast in grainy images could be improved by passing ultrasound waves through microbubbles. In the last two decades, it was further discovered that those bubbles could penetrate the blood-brain barrier – a junction that makes it difficult to treat many neurological conditions because it’s impassable by 98 percent of drugs.

It turns out that when microbubbles at the blood-brain barrier are excited by a focused beam of ultrasound, the barrier opens up, allowing drugs like chemotherapy or anti-seizure medications to enter the brain. The problem is that if the pressure becomes too great and the bubbles implode, they can cause irreversible damage. Now, with the help of a special ultrasound listening helmet to detect the stability of the bubbles, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to precisely focus the beams, it’s possible to control the bubbles to deliver more precise therapy.

The technique could also have application for treatment of the colon to improve absorption of drugs for inflammatory bowel disease like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The company hopes to submit for FDA approval to begin human clinical trials later this year.