Press Briefing on Recent Clinical and Preclinical Advances in Focused Ultrasound

Revolutionary Noninvasive Therapy Shows Promise for Immunotherapy and Opening Blood-Brain Barrier to Enable Treatment of Neurological Disease and Cancer


Charlottesville, VA, Oct. 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

WHAT: A briefing featuring key data presented at the 6th International Symposium on Focused Ultrasound, the world's leading forum dedicated to the latest clinical and translational developments in this noninvasive therapy. Researchers and clinicians will highlight breakthrough advances in the use of focused ultrasound in cancer immunotherapy and for opening the blood-brain barrier (BBB).

WHEN: Monday, October 22, 2018

  • Lunch: 11:30am ET 
  • Presentations and Q&A: 12:00 – 1:30pm ET 
  • Opportunities for one-on-one meetings with speakers: 1:30 – 2:00pm ET

WHERE: Hyatt Regency, 1800 Presidents Street, Reston, Virginia 20190


To attend in person or arrange for one-on-one interviews with our panelists, contact Wes Myhre at wmyhre@fusfoundation.org or 434-284-9285.

Register for webcast if unable to attend in person.  

Featured Speakers and Topics: 

  • Nathan McDannold, PhD, Associate Professor, Radiology, Harvard Medical School and Brigham & Women's Hospital
    • Will discuss the significance of the BBB and the focused ultrasound mechanism for opening it
  • Nir Lipsman, MD, PhD, Neurosurgeon, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
    • Will review first-ever clinical data on opening the BBB to enable treatment of Alzheimer’s and brain tumors including glioblastoma, as well as new applications on the horizon
  • Jill O’Donnell-Tormey, PhD, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Scientific Affairs, Cancer Research Institute
    • Will present the state of cancer immunotherapy and the need for new therapies like focused ultrasound for improving efficacy
  • Katherine Ferrara, PhD, Professor of Radiology, Stanford University
    • Will describe focused ultrasound mechanisms to disrupt the tumor microenvironment, induce anti-cancer immune response, and improve success rates of immunotherapy drugs 
  • David Brenin, MD, Chief of Breast Surgery, University of Virginia 
    • Will share results from the first-ever clinical trial combining focused ultrasound with an immunotherapy drug to treat metastatic breast cancer, preclinical results for pancreatic cancer and glioblastoma, and what’s next in the immunotherapy-focused ultrasound field 


Please visit 
https://www.fusfoundation.org/2018-press-briefing to download a complete agenda and full list of panelists.

About Focused Ultrasound
Focused ultrasound uses ultrasound energy guided by real-time imaging to treat tissue deep in the body without incisions or radiation. The fundamental principle is analogous to using a magnifying glass to focus beams of sunlight on a single point to burn a hole in a leaf. Where each individual beam passes through the tissue, there is no effect. But, at the focal point, the convergence of the multiple beams of focused ultrasound energy results in many important biological effects, creating the possibility of treating a variety of medical disorders. Focused ultrasound is approved in the United States to treat essential tremor, uterine fibroids, pain from bone metastases, and the prostate. Additional indications are approved outside of the US. The technology is in various stages of research and development for more than 100 diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, hypertension, and tumors of the brain, liver, breast, and pancreas.

About the Focused Ultrasound Foundation
The Focused Ultrasound Foundation was created to improve the lives of millions of people worldwide by accelerating the development of this noninvasive technology. The Foundation works to clear the path to global adoption by coordinating and funding research, fostering collaboration, and building awareness among patients and professionals. The Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that focused ultrasound finds its place as a mainstream therapy for a range of conditions within years, not decades. Since its establishment in 2006, the Foundation has become the largest nongovernmental source of funding for focused ultrasound research. More information can be found at www.fusfoundation.org.

Attachments


            

Attachments

01-2018-Media-Briefing-Featured-Experts.pdf 02-About the Focused Ultrasound Foundation.pdf

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