This technology makes use of focused ultrasound (FUS) and microbubble technologies to achieve localized, efficient, and non-invasive delivery of therapeutics through the blood brain barrier and into the brain.
The brain is shielded by a unique vascular system known as the blood-brain barrier (BBB). While the BBB serves as a defense system to guard the brain from toxins, it also represents a major obstruction to neurological drug delivery for therapeutic applications. Although focused ultrasound (FUS) and microbubbles have been shown to noninvasively and locally deliver large molecules through the BBB to treat neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and brain cancer, most studies to date have assumed that long pulse lengths (PLs) were necessary for BBB opening, thus restricting the range of modifiable parameters that can improve delivery characteristics.
This technology uses short PLs to open the BBB using a unique burst sequence. This pulse sequence was selected from an array of pulse parameters based on its superior ability to enhance FUS-induced brain molecular delivery characteristics. Drug delivery measurements revealed that short PLs penetrate the skull better than higher frequencies, allowing for better focal disruption of BBB opening. The technology also presents optimal parameters for using FUS to increase the permeability of the BBB to large agents, such as dextran (70 kDa) and lipid microspheres, therefore expanding the parameters for future drug development.
This technique has been tested and shown to be efficacious using in vivo models.
IR 2781, 2687, 2636, 2039, M09-025
Licensing Contact: Dovina Qu
