Key Points
- The Foundation has funded six preclinical projects this year.
- Researchers are using focused ultrasound to develop innovative treatments for serious and cancerous conditions of the brain, heart, bones, and more.
The Foundation’s research program managers launched six preclinical projects in the first quarter of 2026. Two brain programs, the Immunotherapy Program, the Gene Therapy Program, and the Veterinary Program are advancing research that uses focused ultrasound to treat pediatric brain tumors, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, heart failure, and hard-to-treat cancers in people and pets.
“These new awards reflect a diverse focused ultrasound portfolio spanning the mechanisms of immunotherapy, neuromodulation, drug delivery, and ablation to address a multitude of diseases,” said Joe Kilroy, PhD, the Foundation’s managing director of Science and Technology. “Through these projects, we are building a robust pipeline of translational studies to bring safe, effective therapies to patients young and old, and to both humans and companion animals.”
The guidelines for submitting a funding application to the Foundation are described below.
Brain Tumors Program (1)
Focused Ultrasound-Enabled Drug Delivery and Immunogenic Modulation to Sensitize Diffuse Midline Glioma to Immunotherapy led by Hong-Jian (James) Wei, PhD, at Virginia Tech*
To improve the amount of drug delivery to diffuse midline glioma (DMG) tumors and also prevent them from hiding from the immune system, researchers will combine focused ultrasound with chemotherapy and immunotherapy in a murine brain tumor model. After using focused ultrasound to open the blood-brain barrier, the team will administer carboplatin followed by an immune checkpoint inhibitor to enhance the efficacy of the immunotherapy drug. The team will then measure tumor size, survival, and the immune response while also trying to understand the underlying molecular and immunologic mechanisms of the treatments.
Brain Program (Other) (1)
Towards a Wearable Brain Ultrasound Solution for Seizure Control in Childhood Epilepsies led by Ivan Soltesz, PhD, at Stanford University
This project is being co-funded by CURE Epilepsy. It aims to develop a noninvasive treatment for a severe form of childhood epilepsy called Lennox–Gastaut syndrome, because current therapies often fail to control its frequent, debilitating seizures. Using advanced monitoring in animal models, the researchers will seek to determine whether focused ultrasound can be used to reduce abnormal brain activity linked to seizures. They will identify the safest and most effective ultrasound settings and test whether the approach can automatically detect and stop seizures in real time. If successful, this work could be translated into safer, surgery-free alternatives to current brain stimulation treatments and pave the way for devices designed specifically for children.
Gene Therapy Program (1)
Focused Ultrasound–Enhanced Systemic Delivery of Lipid Nanoparticles for Brain-Wide Gene Therapy in Alzheimer’s Disease led by Kaiyuan Zheng, PhD, at Columbia University
This project is part of the American Society of Cell and Gene Therapy’s fellowship program. It will explore whether repeated focused ultrasound–mediated blood-brain barrier opening can improve the delivery of gene therapy in the brain. Researchers will use lipid nanoparticles to encapsulate and focused ultrasound to deliver a widely recognized gene that is associated with the risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Immunotherapy Program (1)
Focused Ultrasound–Induced Neutrophil Reprogramming to Overcome Immunotherapy Resistance led by Allan Tsung, MD, at the University of Virginia*
The immune system does not recognize and attack all types of cancer. For this project, researchers will use focused ultrasound histotripsy to break apart traditionally unresponsive tumors and then treat them with immunotherapy. They will use laboratory models to determine whether histotripsy can enhance the recruitment and activation of immune cells, control tumor growth, reduce the spread of the tumor, and improve immunotherapy effectiveness.
Veterinary Program (2)
Noninvasive Atrial Septostomy Using Focused Ultrasound led by Giulio Menciotti, DVM, PhD, at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine*
Several heart diseases in dogs increase the pressure in the left atrium, the chamber that drains the lungs. This leads to fluid buildup, difficulty breathing, and eventual heart failure. Many of these diseases have no cure, and although treatment often involves a diuretic to reduce fluid buildup, the fluid will eventually return. Sometimes veterinarians perform surgery to make a small hole in the atrial septum to divert the fluid buildup from the lungs, which improves quality of life and survival; however, this surgery is costly and risky. For this project, researchers are seeking to determine whether focused ultrasound histotripsy can safely be used to make a hole in the septum and relieve the pressure in the heart chamber. The study will first conduct experiments on explanted tissue then move into in vivo testing.
Leveraging Combination Histotripsy Tumor Ablation and N-Dihydrogalactochitosan (GC) Immunostimulation to Advance Osteosarcoma Therapy led by JoAnne Tuohy, DVM, PhD, DACVS–Small Animal at Virginia Tech
To continue to advance new treatments for osteosarcoma, the most common bone tumor in dogs and people, researchers are seeking to activate the immune system to fight the cancer. With the idea of combining GC (a novel immunotherapy that is being tested in human clinical trials) with focused ultrasound histotripsy, researchers will evaluate immune responses and disease progression in osteosarcoma after applying histotripsy-GC therapy in 6 dogs with osteosarcoma lesions. Additionally, 6 dogs will be treated with the standard of care therapy. Beyond measuring immune system activation, survival will be compared against that found with standard therapy.
*This project was funded by the Commonwealth of Virginia as a result of the Foundation’s advocacy efforts.
Applicant Guide
The Foundation’s Research Funding Applicant Guide describes its research priorities, two-part application process, what happens after a funding decision is made, and a Q&A on how to write a Letter of Intent (or “LOI”).