Unlock the brain’s potential: Precise localized drug delivery and neuromodulation.
In preclinical research, the quality of your discovery is limited by the precision of your tools. Focused Ultrasound (FUS) is the only modality capable of non-invasive, localized tissue interaction at the sub-millimeter scale. Our specifically engineered FUS toolkit has helped researchers bypass the blood-brain barrier, modulate deep-brain targets, and activate sonosensitive therapeutics with surgical-grade focus. Designed for seamless integration into MRI and benchtop workflows, our platforms are built to handle everything from standard thermal ablation to new emerging frontiers.
Increasing the Permeability of the Blood-Brain Barrier
Targeted CNS Delivery in Murine Models.
The Challenge: Overcoming the blood-brain barrier to deliver high-molecular-weight therapeutics without causing off-target tissue damage.
The FUS Role: Using the FUS system’s sub-millimeter stereotaxic integration, precision focal coordinates can be maintained across multiple treatment sessions, ensuring high reproducibility and animal safety.
Impact: Localized drug delivery for neuro-oncology or neurodegenerative disease.
(a) Blue dots indicate the FUS-BBBO target sites for AAV9 packaged CAG-NLS-GFP plasmid; target sites were selected and treated using the FUS Instruments RK-50 system.
(b) Immunohistochemistry of anti-GFP showed an increase in the number of GFP-positive cells in the representative brain sections from each group of FUS-treated mice.
Neuromodulation
Redefining Functional Neurosurgery.
The Challenge: Activating specific deep-brain nuclei non-invasively to observe behavioral changes without the need for implanted electrodes.
The FUS Role: The ability to fine-tune acoustic pressure at low levels allows the researchers to trigger neural firing without inducing thermal effects or histological damage, preserving the integrity of the neural circuits.
Impact: Functional brain mapping and non-invasive stimulation.
(Top) Schematic of seizure induction, propofol-nanoparticle dosage, FUS application (red ellipse) using MRI-compatible RK-300.
(Bottom) FUS administration first at 1.0 MPa peak pressure and then at 1.5 MPa, significantly silences seizure activity, measured by total and theta band EEG power in animals receiving propofol-loaded particles, but not in the animals receiving blank particles.
Sonodynamic Therapy
Harnessing Cavitation for more than just delivery.
The Challenge: Eliminating deep-seated malignant tissue without the off-target thermal damage associated with traditional ablation or the depth limitations of light-based therapies.
The FUS Role: The precision of our in-house built transducers ensured stable acoustic cavitation at low intensities, providing the exact energy required to activate sonosensitizers without inducing unwanted thermal effects in surrounding healthy tissue.
Impact: Targeted destruction of solid tumors via acoustic ultrasound therapy.
Weekly treatments of late-stage rat gliosarcoma tumors with sonosenitizer 5-ALA and FUS sonodynamic therapy (SDT) led to formation of a necrotic center, tumor shrinking and increased survival with 5-ALA/FUS/SDT.
This study used an early prototype model of the MRI-compatible RK-300.
Thermal Therapy
Programmable Hyperthermia & Ablation.
The Challenge: Achieving focal destruction of deep-tissue targets without damaging the skin or intervening healthy tissue.
The FUS Role: Our custom-engineered, MRI-compatible transducers provided the high acoustic intensity required for rapid heating while maintaining a “cold” profile during imaging sequences.
Impact: Non-invasive tissue ablation and hyperthermia.
High-intensity FUS (HIFU) induces transgene lucerfin expression driven by heat shock protein HSP70 activation in engineered mesenchymal stem cells implanted in rat brain. HSP70 is activated at high temperatures induced by HIFU.
HIFU was delivered using MRI/MR-thermometry guided RK-100 (older version of RK-300)
Emerging Frontiers
One platform. Infinite possibilities for non-invasive research.
The Challenge: Overcoming various biological barriers and accessing molecular data from the brain without the risks and limitations of traditional surgical biopsies.
The FUS Role: FUS provides the high-resolution acoustic field necessary to increase vascular permeability without causing micro-hemorrhages or structural tissue damage, making it customizable to innovative approaches.
Impact: Non-invasive diagnostics and expanding therapy beyond the brain.
(Top) Experimental setup and workflow for using RK-50 system to target the sciatic nerve with FUS.
(Left) Preferential 0.3 MPa Peak pressure sonication targeting tibial branch of sciatic nerve confirms opening of blood-nerve barrier by leakage of Evans Blue dye and preservation axonal architecture.
