Curing with Sound

In this episode of Curing with Sound, we speak with Eli Vlaisavljevich, PhD, an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Virginia Tech and a renowned innovator in histotripsy, the first completely noninvasive and nonthermal ablation method for treating cancer.  The conversation explores histotripsy's expanding applications across multiple conditions, from its FDA-approved...

In this episode of Curing with Sound, we hear from Paul Sayer, a prostate cancer survivor from the United Kingdom, whose life was transformed by focused ultrasound treatment. Diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer in 2018 and initially advised to undergo surgery, Paul took the initiative to research alternative treatments. His search led him to focused ultrasound, a noninvasive option that offe...

In this episode of Curing with Sound, James Mahoney, PhD, associate professor and neuropsychologist at West Virginia University, discusses the use of focused ultrasound for addiction treatment. Dr. Mahoney and the team at the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute are using neuromodulation to target the nucleus accumbens - the brain's reward center - to help patients with severe opioid use disorders w...

In this episode of Curing with Sound, Zhen Xu, PhD, the Li Ka Shing Endowed Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan, discusses histotripsy. Dr. Xu and her colleagues developed histotripsy, the first noninvasive, nonthermal ultrasound ablation technique that received FDA approval for liver tumor treatment in 2023. Her work has led to multiple clinical trials on histotripsy...

In honor of Essential Tremor Awareness month, this episode of Curing with Sound, features Michael Werner, a healthcare attorney, who has lived with essential tremor most of his life. After years of struggling with increasingly debilitating tremors that affected daily activities like eating and cooking, he chose to have a noninvasive focused ultrasound procedure. Michael's story highlights the crit...

This episode of Curing with Sound features Elisa Konofagou, PhD, the Robert and Margaret Hariri Professor of Biomedical Engineering and professor of radiology at Columbia University , who is a pioneer and leading expert in focused ultrasound. Dr. Konofagou discusses her important research using focused ultrasound to open the blood-brain barrier, the development of portable therapeutic ultrasound d...

In this episode of Curing with Sound, we talk with Suzanne LeBlang, MD, a neuroradiologist and Director of Clinical Relationships at the Focused Ultrasound Foundation, who offers unique insights into how this technology is reshaping the future of medicine. She shares her experience as an early adopter of focused ultrasound following its FDA approval to treat uterine fibroids in 2004 and dives deep...

In this episode of Curing with Sound, Lynn Dengel, MD, a surgical oncologist at UVA Health, discusses her groundbreaking clinical trial combining focused ultrasound with immunotherapy to treat patients with advanced melanoma.  She shares insights into how this Foundation-funded trial – which is still enrolling patients – could help those who don't benefit from standard immunotherapy alone. Key poi...

In this episode of Curing with Sound, Robert Palmer shares his transformative experience with focused ultrasound for prostate cancer. Robert details his procedure, which, unlike traditional treatments, allowed him to avoid overnight hospitalization and return to normal activities within ten days. Now cancer-free, Robert is a passionate advocate for focused ultrasound technology and has spoken to U...

In this special episode of Curing with Sound, Foundation team members share an overview of the advancements in focused ultrasound over the past year and provide a look at what’s ahead for the field in 2025. From groundbreaking clinical applications to increased global adoption, this episode highlights the field’s remarkable growth and its impact on patients and animals alike. The discussion covers...

John Dutton is a patient with both Parkinson's disease and Multiple Sclerosis. In this episode, John shares how focused ultrasound treatment dramatically improved his quality of life by virtually eliminating his Parkinson-related tremors. He discusses his progression of symptoms, details his focused ultrasound procedure, and encourages others to explore this treatment as a viable option for managi...

In this episode of Curing with Sound, John Lukens, PhD, a Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Virginia, shares his groundbreaking research on the connection between the immune system and the brain in combating neurological disorders. He discusses the role of focused ultrasound in enhancing immunotherapy and opening new treatment possibilities for conditions like Alzheimer's, ALS, and br...

In this episode of Curing with Sound, three leading experts in focused ultrasound technology share their groundbreaking work in pancreatic cancer treatment. Dr. Feng Wu from Oxford University, Dr. Jae Young Lee from Seoul National University Hospital, and Dr. Joan Vidal-Jové from Barcelona's Comprehensive Tumor Center discuss their innovative approaches to treating one of medicine's most challengi...

In this compelling episode of Curing with Sound, Rima Youssef shares her transformative journey battling severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) since childhood. Learn how a focused ultrasound clinical trial at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center offered hope when traditional treatments failed, leading to a remarkable turnaround in Rima's life. Rima's story is a testament to the potential of focu...

In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Greg Czarnota, a senior scientist and radiation oncologist at Sunnybrook Research Institute in Toronto, discusses his innovative research using focused ultrasound in breast cancer treatment. Dr. Czarnota shares promising results from his phase I clinical trial using focused ultrasound-stimulated microbubbles to enhance radiotherapy in patients w...

In this episode of Curing with Sound, Jane Metcalfe, entrepreneur, editor, and co-founder of Wired magazine, shares her insights on the intersection of technology, biology, and healthcare. She explains her role as co-chair of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation’s Council and her passion for advancing this groundbreaking noninvasive technology. Metcalfe emphasizes the potential of focused ultrasound...

In this episode, we meet Bobby Krause, a former college athlete and sales executive who was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's disease at age 42. Bobby candidly discusses his struggle with debilitating tremors that impacted his ability to engage with his family and perform at work. After experiencing severe side effects from medications, Bobby turned to focused ultrasound treatment for help.  ...

In this episode, we speak with Gavin and Wendy Lindberg, founders of The EVAN Foundation, and Dena Sherwood, founder of Arms Wide Open Childhood Cancer Foundation. These passionate advocates, each profoundly impacted by childhood cancer, share their personal stories and discuss how their organizations support families, fund crucial research including innovative treatments like focused ultrasound,...

In this episode, Dr. Lauren Powlovich shares her journey from anesthesiology to her current role as Associate Director of Research and Education at the Focused Ultrasound Foundation. From her early exposure to healthcare through her family of nurses to her own unique career path in the medical field, Dr. Powlovich reveals her passion for helping others and her excitement about the revolutionary us...

In this episode, Dr. Jill O'Donnell-Tormey, CEO and Director of Scientific Affairs at the Cancer Research Institute (CRI), discusses the fascinating history of cancer immunotherapy, recent breakthroughs, and the potential role of focused ultrasound in enhancing immunotherapy treatments. The conversation explores current challenges and opportunities in cancer immunotherapy, including the need for p...

Join us for a compelling conversation with Beverly McGowan, a nurse practitioner whose life was dramatically impacted by essential tremor. Beverly takes us through her journey, from the first signs of tremor affecting her work to the debilitating effects on her personal life and hobbies. She describes the challenges of traditional treatments and her discovery of focused ultrasound as a potential s...

Dr. Clifford Cho, a renowned surgical oncologist from the University of Michigan, joins us to discuss the revolutionary intersection of histotripsy and cancer immunotherapy. Histotripsy, a noninvasive focused ultrasound mechanism, is changing the landscape of cancer treatment by not only destroying tumors but also potentially boosting the body's immune response against cancer. Dr. Cho provides an...

In this episode, Dr. Stavros Zanos, a renowned researcher at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, discusses the potential of focused ultrasound neuromodulation in treating a wide range of cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. Dr. Zanos explains how ultrasound activates neurons through mechanosensitive channels and shares the promising results of recent studies using neuromodulation t...

Dr. Daniel Jeanmonod, a renowned functional neurosurgeon, joins us upon his retirement to reflect on his pioneering career. Since 1989, Dr. Jeanmonod has been at the forefront of focused ultrasound research and treatment for neuropathic pain, Parkinson's disease, and essential tremor. He recounts his groundbreaking achievement in using noninvasive focused ultrasound to treat patients at the Univer...

This episode features an insightful discussion on the potential of focused ultrasound in revolutionizing women's health care. The conversation, moderated by Dr. Jessica Foley, Chief Scientific Officer at the Focused Ultrasound Foundation, includes expert panelists Dr. Suzanne LeBlang, neuroradiologist and Director of Clinical Relationships at the Focused Ultrasound Foundation, Dr. Lynn Dengel, sur...