The Focused Ultrasound Foundation Designates Columbia University as a Center of Excellence
The Focused Ultrasound Foundation has designated Columbia University as a Focused Ultrasound Center of Excellence, recognizing its leadership in research and innovation. Columbia University is the 7th Center of Excellence in the US and the 14th worldwide.
Established in 2009, the Foundation’s Center of Excellence Program recognizes luminary sites for their merit in translational and clinical research in focused ultrasound, training, and patient care. The Centers serve as hubs for collaboration, bringing together academia, industry, and the Foundation to champion therapeutic ultrasound technology in innovative ways.
From the FUS Foundation:
Under the leadership of Elisa Konofagou, PhD, the Robert and Margaret Hariri Professor of Biomedical Engineering and a Professor of Radiology, Columbia University has been at the forefront of focused ultrasound research for more than 20 years. The university’s multidisciplinary team, spanning departments across three campuses, has pioneered groundbreaking studies and clinical trials in blood-brain barrier opening to treat devastating diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), and brain metastases. Additionally, university researchers have made key advances in central and peripheral neuromodulation for pain and carpal tunnel syndrome and developed new approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.
“Columbia University is making significant strides in focused ultrasound research, contributing to numerous ‘world firsts’ that have propelled the field forward,” said Neal F. Kassell, MD, Founder and Chairman of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation. “Their commitment to innovation and clinical translation is accelerating the development of non-invasive therapies that have the potential to transform patient care.”
Columbia University, located in New York City, was the first institution in the world to use focused ultrasound in neuronavigation-guided clinical trials for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and DIPG. The institution is also a leader in peripheral neuromodulation with simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG) for carpal tunnel syndrome.
“Our focused ultrasound program exemplifies the university’s dedication to expansive research and innovation,” said Dr. Konofagou. “Across the multiple departments involved at Columbia—including biomedical engineering, neurosurgery, radiology, neurology, radiation oncology, neuroscience, psychiatry and medicine to name a few—we are making great strides in translating this groundbreaking technology to the clinic and ultimately benefitting patients who can now have a noninvasive and flexible option for their treatment.”
A pioneer in this field, Dr. Gordon Baltuch, MD, PhD, Co-Chief of Functional Neurosurgery Division at Columbia Neurosurgery also shared, “Professor Konofagou is a pioneer and recognized leader in the field. We are pleased to have finally received this designation which is long overdue.”
With more than 30 researchers leading studies using focused ultrasound, Columbia University has published over 50 journal articles in the past five years. Ten researchers have also received awards for their contributions to the field. Looking ahead, Columbia University researchers are exploring new applications of focused ultrasound for epilepsy mapping, depression treatment, and Parkinson’s treatment with gene delivery.
As a Center of Excellence, Columbia University will work closely with the Focused Ultrasound Foundation and other leading research institutions to continue expanding the use of focused ultrasound for clinical applications. The designation provides increased opportunities for collaboration, funding, and knowledge-sharing to accelerate the translation of focused ultrasound therapies from laboratory research to patient care.
Learn more here via the FUS Foundation’s website.
About Focused Ultrasound
Focused ultrasound uses ultrasound energy guided by real-time imaging to treat tissue deep in the body without incisions or radiation. It is FDA-approved in the United States to treat essential tremor, Parkinson’s disease, liver tumors, uterine fibroids, pain from bone metastases, osteoid osteoma, and the prostate. Dozens of additional indications are approved outside of the US. The technology is in various stages of research and development for more than 180 diseases.
About the Focused Ultrasound Foundation
Based in Charlottesville, VA, the Focused Ultrasound Foundation was created to improve the lives of millions of people worldwide by accelerating the development of focused ultrasound, a rapidly evolving, noninvasive technology. The Foundation works to clear the path to global adoption in the shortest time possible by organizing and funding research, fostering collaboration, and building awareness among patients and professionals. Since its establishment in 2006, the Foundation has become the largest nongovernmental funding source for focused ultrasound research.
About Columbia Engineering
Since 1864, the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science at Columbia University has been a resource to the world for major advances in human progress. Today, Columbia Engineering is a global leader in engineering education, research, and impact. Located in the heart of New York City, the school convenes more than 250 faculty members and 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students to push the frontiers of knowledge and solve humanity’s most pressing problems.
