News | Focused Ultrasound Therapy | October 30, 2020

These two studies are a critical first step in using focused ultrasound to treat the underlying causes of Parkinson's

José Obeso, MD, PhD, (left) of of the Centro Integral de Neurociencias (HM CINAC) in Madrid and Nir Lipsman, MD, PhD, (right) of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. Each doctor is leading a clinical trial using focused ultrasound to target the striatum in patients with Parkinson's disease.

José Obeso, MD, PhD, (left) of of the Centro Integral de Neurociencias (HM CINAC) in Madrid and Nir Lipsman, MD, PhD, (right) of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. Each doctor is leading a clinical trial using focused ultrasound to target the striatum in patients with Parkinson's disease.


October 30, 2020 — A team of researchers in Madrid, Spain, and another team in Toronto, Canada, are the first in the world to use focused ultrasound technology to target a new area of the brain in patients with Parkinson's disease and potentially curb, or even reverse, its progression.

Both ongoing clinical trials focus on the striatum, a hub of neurons deep in the brain that is one of the principal components of the basal ganglia – an area that plays a central role in facilitating voluntary movement. The severity of movement-related symptoms of Parkinson's is associated with the neurodegeneration of dopaminergic nigrostriatal projection.

Focused ultrasound has previously gained international regulatory approvals for the treatment of tremor-dominant Parkinson's, including US Food and Drug Administration approval in 2018. The trials in Madrid and Toronto represent the first application of the technology with the goal of stopping the progression of Parkinson's, rather than merely treating the symptoms.

A hallmark of Parkinson's disease is the abnormal accumulation of a protein called alpha-synuclein, which leads to unhealthy brain cells and neurodegeneration. Promising treatments to reduce alpha-synuclein accumulation, however, have been limited by their inability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and reach the target.

José Obeso, M.D., Ph.D., of the Centro Integral de Neurociencias (HM CINAC) in Madrid recently led the first clinical trial in the world to use focused ultrasound to temporarily and reversibly open the BBB in the putamen region of the striatum of Parkinson's patients. To date, seven patients have been treated.

"Focused ultrasound opening of the blood-brain barrier provides a unique opportunity for early intervention to treat neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's," said Obeso. "Striatal opening, in particular, could be readily applied to treat Parkinson's patients early in the evolution of the disease. This could be a revolutionary advance."

In another groundbreaking clinical trial, Nir Lipsman, M.D., Ph.D., is co-leading a team of researchers at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and University Health Network in Toronto who are the first in the world to use focused ultrasound to deliver a therapeutic directly to the striatum in patients with Parkinson's. The team is using low-intensity ultrasound waves to cause a temporary opening in the BBB, which allows access to the striatum and the direct delivery of an enzyme replacement therapy (glucocerebrosidase). To date, three patients have been treated in this study.

"The goal of this trial is to examine the safety of temporarily opening the blood-brain barrier in key motor regions known to be implicated in Parkinson's disease and delivering promising therapeutics directly to these areas of the brain," said Lipsman, Director of Sunnybrook's Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation.

Pat Wilson, the first patient in the Sunnybrook study said, "I hope that by taking part in this clinical trial, I can help make a difference. My father had Parkinson's, and I saw the difficulties he faced. I am living with the challenges of this condition, and I hope that this study can help in finding a treatment to help others with Parkinson's in the future."

Both ongoing trials are using Insightec's Exablate Neuro device, and the trial in Toronto is funded in part by the Focused Ultrasound Foundation.

"Focused ultrasound is a revolutionary, noninvasive technology that has the potential to transform the treatment of Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders," said Neal F. Kassell, MD, Chairman and Founder of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation. "These two studies are a critical first step in using focused ultrasound to treat the underlying causes of Parkinson's disease."

For more information: http://www.fusfoundation.org


Related Content

News | Digital Radiography (DR)

July 10, 2025 — Fujifilm Healthcare Americas Corp. has launched several advanced automated functions for its FDR ...

Time July 10, 2025
arrow
News | FDA

July 8, 2025 — Mendaera, Inc., a healthcare technology company focused on developing robotics that can be deployed ...

Time July 08, 2025
arrow
News | Computed Tomography (CT)

July 01, 2025 — NANO-X Imaging Ltd. recently announced a clinical and educational collaboration with Keiser University ...

Time July 03, 2025
arrow
News | Ultrasound Imaging

June 26, 2025 — FUJIFILM VisualSonics Inc., a provider of ultra-high frequency ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging ...

Time June 27, 2025
arrow
News | Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS)

June 17, 2025 — Royal Philips has announced the global launch of the Flash Ultrasound System 5100 POC — a new point-of ...

Time June 19, 2025
arrow
News | Lung Imaging

June 18, 2025 — Exo recently announced that now included on its Exo Iris is the first ever FDA 510(k) cleared AI for ...

Time June 18, 2025
arrow
News | Imaging Software Development

June 12, 2025 — GE HealthCare has announced the combination of GE HealthCare’s proprietary features and algorithms with ...

Time June 12, 2025
arrow
News | Radiology Business

The issue of sustainability in healthcare has gained increasing focus over the past several years. During a 2022 plenary ...

Time May 06, 2025
arrow
News | Artificial Intelligence

April 16, 2025 — An artificial intelligence (AI) program trained to review images from a common medical test can detect ...

Time April 16, 2025
arrow
News | Ultrasound Women's Health

April 11, 2025 — Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is a safe and accurate diagnostic imaging option for pregnant women ...

Time April 11, 2025
arrow
Subscribe Now