Curing with Sound

In this episode of Curing with Sound, we speak with Jeffrey Coull, PhD, founder and CEO of Grey Matter Neurosciences, a Toronto-based company developing low-intensity focused ultrasound technology for targeted brain neuromodulation. Building on research led by Dr. Kullervo Hynynen and his team at Sunnybrook Research Institute, the company’s helmet-based system uses an array of more than 2,000 ultr...

In this episode of Curing with Sound, we speak with Adam Maxwell, PhD, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at Virginia Tech, whose career has literally spanned the focused ultrasound development pathway, from fundamental research and technology development to startups, clinical trials, and FDA-cleared technologies. Dr. Maxwell reflects on his involvement in some of the earliest histot...

In this episode of Curing with Sound, we speak with Daniel Sheeran, MD, an interventional radiologist at the University of Virginia, about histotripsy, a form of focused ultrasound that mechanically destroys targeted tissue without incisions or heat. In 2023, the US Food and Drug Administration cleared the HistoSonics Edison™ histotripsy system for the noninvasive destruction of liver tumors. Dr....

In this episode of Curing with Sound, we speak with Tonya Cherukuri, PhD, Director of the Foundation's Claudine and Fritz Kundrun Veterinary Program. The program funds clinical trials investigating focused ultrasound for naturally occurring diseases in companion animals to advance veterinary care and also generate insights that may inform applications in human medicine. To date, it has supported n...

A glioblastoma diagnosis changes a family’s life in an instant—especially when a tumor’s location makes surgery too risky. For patients facing this aggressive form of brain cancer, treatment often involves difficult decisions, profound uncertainty, and the challenge of continuing to live fully amid a life-altering diagnosis. In this episode of Curing with Sound, we speak with Keith Merker, a husba...

In this episode of Curing with Sound, we speak with Nikolaos Dervisis, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, an associate professor of veterinary oncology at Purdue University and Senior Advisor for Veterinary Initiatives at the Focused Ultrasound Foundation. Dr. Dervisis discusses the growing role of focused ultrasound in veterinary medicine and its potential to advance cancer care. He also explores how studying nat...

In this episode of Curing with Sound, we speak with Jim Rorie, a licensed private investigator from North Carolina whose career and daily life were profoundly affected by chronic low back pain following a multi-vehicle collision. After months of physical therapy and painful nerve block injections, Jim became one of the first patients in the United States to be commercially treated with noninvasive...

In this episode of Curing with Sound, we speak with Matt Myers, PhD, a research physicist and founder of Puente Translational Sciences. Dr. Myers spent more than 30 years at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where he helped develop tools to evaluate emerging devices and applications, including focused ultrasound. Drawing on decades of experience, Dr. Myers offers an insider's perspectiv...

Focused ultrasound is rapidly expanding the boundaries of what is possible in functional neurosurgery. From movement disorders to epilepsy, researchers are exploring how this noninvasive technology can precisely target and treat an expanding range of neurological conditions. In this episode of Curing with Sound, Vibhor Krishna, MD, Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Inpatient Operations in the...

In this episode of Curing with Sound, we speak with Ashish Ranjan, PhD, a professor of radiation oncology and director of the Veterinary Research and Oncology Clinic at the University of Texas Southwestern. Dr. Ranjan discusses how emerging focused ultrasound applications, including histotripsy and sonodynamic therapy, are being used to treat solid tumors in companion animals.  He explains how vet...

Targeted drug delivery to the brain has long been hindered by the blood-brain barrier, a protective layer that prevents many therapeutic agents from reaching their intended targets. For patients with serious neurological disorders, this challenge can significantly reduce access to potentially effective treatments and limit therapeutic outcomes.  In this episode of Curing with Sound, we speak with...

Essential tremor is a progressive neurological condition that causes involuntary shaking, often significantly impairing everyday tasks. For many, the loss of fine motor control means giving up lifelong passions and careers. Even simple actions, like buttoning a shirt, eating, or writing, can become overwhelming, leading to frustration, embarrassment, and a diminished quality of life.  In this epis...

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a vital protective mechanism that shields the brain from harmful substances, but it also poses a significant challenge in treating neurological diseases. For patients with aggressive brain tumors or neurodegenerative conditions, the BBB can prevent life-saving therapies and chemotherapeutic agents from reaching their targets, leaving limited treatment options. In t...

Chronic pain affects one in five adults, yet it remains a deeply personal and often misunderstood experience. For many, the search for relief becomes a cycle of treatments that fail to deliver lasting results, sometimes leading to long-term reliance on medications that can significantly impact quality of life. In this special episode of Curing with Sound, we examine the future of pain management f...

Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most difficult cancers to treat, largely because its dense tumor microenvironment makes it difficult for chemotherapy drugs to reach their target. This often leads to poor patient outcomes and underscores the urgent need for new therapeutic strategies to overcome these barriers. In this episode of Curing with Sound, Jae Young Lee, MD, PhD, professor and researc...

In this episode of Curing with Sound, we speak with Peter Dolan, a lifelong athlete and prostate cancer survivor who chose focused ultrasound after receiving an unexpected diagnosis despite a reassuring MRI. Peter shares his experience navigating treatment decisions and offers a candid account of the outpatient procedure and recovery process. He describes a swift return to his active lifestyle, fr...

For pet owners, a diagnosis such as cancer or chronic disease often brings difficult decisions and limited treatment options, many of which involve invasive procedures. While human medicine has advanced significantly, many of these innovations have been slower to reach veterinary care, underscoring the need for more effective and less invasive approaches to animal health. In this episode of Curing...

In this episode of Curing with Sound, we speak with Natasha Sheybani, PhD, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Virginia (UVA) and research director of the UVA Focused Ultrasound Cancer Immunotherapy Center. Dr. Sheybani shares insights into her groundbreaking work using focused ultrasound–based immunotherapy approaches in patients with metastatic breast cancer and ot...

In this episode of Curing with Sound, we speak with Dr. Jean-François Aubry, Director of Research at France's National Center for Scientific Research and a leading expert in therapeutic ultrasound with over two decades of experience in the field. Dr. Aubry discusses transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS), an emerging neuromodulation approach that enables precise targeting of deep brain structur...

Launched in 2024, the European Union Focused Ultrasound Foundation (EUFUSF) is the newest sister organization of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation, established to build and strengthen partnerships that expand the reach and impact of focused ultrasound across Europe.  In this episode of Curing with Sound, we speak with Pascale Broks, the Foundation’s Development Director for Europe, who is spearhea...

The blood-brain barrier (BBB), while essential for protecting the brain from toxins, has long been one of the greatest obstacles in treating brain diseases, particularly aggressive cancers like glioblastoma. Most chemotherapy drugs simply cannot reach the brain in effective concentrations, leaving patients with limited treatment options and poor outcomes.  In this episode of Curing with Sound, we...

Adenomyosis is a condition in which the uterine lining grows into the muscular wall of the uterus, often causing heavy menstrual bleeding, severe cramping, and chronic pelvic pain. It is estimated to affect 25–60% of women worldwide. Despite its prevalence, treatment options in North America remain extremely limited. Many patients are forced to choose between long-term opioid pain management or a...

In this episode of Curing with Sound, we explore how focused ultrasound is revolutionizing the field of veterinary medicine. Joanne Tuohy, DVM, PhD, Associate Professor of Surgical Oncology at Virginia Tech’s Animal Cancer Care and Research Center, investigates how histotripsy—a non-thermal focused ultrasound technology—could improve cancer outcomes for veterinary patients while advancing treatmen...

In this episode of Curing with Sound, we explore a groundbreaking approach to one of medicine’s toughest cancers, glioblastoma (GBM), with Michael Canney, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Carthera. GBM is the most aggressive form of brain cancer, notoriously hard to treat because the blood-brain barrier (BBB) blocks many life-saving drugs from reaching tumor cells. With survival rates of just one...

In this episode of Curing with Sound, we sit down with Gary Shapiro, CEO and Vice Chair of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), and a valued member of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation Board of Directors. With decades of experience advocating for disruptive innovation, Gary offers a unique perspective on how focused ultrasound fits within the global ecosystem of transformative healthcare tec...