Sept. 22, 2025 — The Focused Ultrasound Foundation has designated Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark as a Focused Ultrasound Center of Excellence. Aarhus becomes the first Center of Excellence in Scandinavia and the 15th worldwide, joining a global network of leading institutions advancing the development and adoption of focused ultrasound technology.
The Foundation’s Centers of Excellence Program was established in 2009 to recognize and support institutions that are leading the field in research, development, and clinical adoption of focused ultrasound. This designation recognizes Aarhus University Hospital’s multidisciplinary expertise and commitment to advancing focused ultrasound research, clinical care, and education. The Center will serve as a hub for collaboration, uniting expertise in neurology, neurosurgery, oncology, radiology, psychiatry, and engineering.
“The work being done at Aarhus University Hospital demonstrates the extraordinary potential of focused ultrasound—from improving treatments for movement disorders to pioneering new approaches for Parkinson’s and dementia,” said Neal F. Kassell, MD, Founder and Chairman of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation. “Aarhus University Hospital is significantly expanding access to focused ultrasound in Scandinavia and accelerating the global effort to make focused ultrasound a standard of care.”
Focused ultrasound was first introduced at Aarhus in 2022 as a treatment for essential tremor, making it the first public hospital in Scandinavia to offer the noninvasive therapy. By 2024, more than 170 patients had been treated. Beginning in fall 2025, the hospital will offer bilateral treatment for essential tremor and initiate a clinical study for tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease.
In 2023, Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital established a preclinical focused ultrasound platform that now supports multiple projects with capacity to treat more than 60 animals per week. Current preclinical research focuses on modulation of Parkinson’s-related dementia, supported among others by the Foundation, the Carlsberg Foundation, and EU Horizon. Over the next two years, the program will expand to include neuromodulation (e.g., transcranial ultrasound stimulation) and focused ultrasound gene therapy.
“We are honored and delighted with the designation as a Focused Ultrasound Center of Excellence,” said Jens Christian Hedemann Sørensen, Professorial Chair, Dept. of Neurosurgery and Danish Neuroscience Centre. “Focused ultrasound treatment is a giant leap in our efforts to improve the quality of life of the most severely affected patients with essential tremor and holds great potential for other indications. At Aarhus University Hospital and Danish Neuroscience Centre, we are looking forward to expanding our collaboration with other leading clinics and research centers for the benefit of patients with movement disorders.”
Future studies at Aarhus will also explore blood-brain barrier opening for targeted drug delivery and neurostimulation, with the potential to transform treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, brain tumors, and psychiatric disorders. An upcoming 2025 study in tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease will integrate biomarkers, liquid biopsy, advanced imaging, and neuropsychological evaluations to optimize patient selection and long-term outcomes.
Aarhus University Hospital has been recognized as Denmark’s best hospital 15 times by Dagens Medicin and was ranked No. 12 on Newsweek’s “World’s Best Smart Hospitals” list in 2024, placing it second in Europe. The hospital is also a leader in integrating advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, robotic surgery, telemedicine, digital health applications, and precision imaging. Its state-of-the-art facilities, including high-resolution human and animal PET and MRI, support both preclinical and clinical research, with a cross-disciplinary team dedicated to patient care, training, and innovation.
For more information, go to www.fusfoundation.org
October 14, 2025 
