Precision ultrasound brain therapy using tiny drug-carrying particles
Next generation transcranial ultrasound-based neuromodulation using phase shift nanoemulsions
['FUNDING_R01'] · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · NIH-11249684
Researchers are developing focused ultrasound that activates tiny particles to deliver medicines to exact spots in the brain for people with neurological conditions.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (NASHVILLE, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11249684 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
If you have a brain disorder that might benefit from very focused treatment, this project aims to make that possible by combining focused ultrasound with 200 nm phase-shift nanoemulsions that can carry drugs. The particles stay inactive until short ultrasound pulses turn them into microbubbles, allowing local opening of the blood–brain barrier or direct drug release in millimeter-scale brain regions. The team is building a new ultrasound transducer to shrink the treatment focus and to map particle activation through the skull. Work will be tested in non-human primates as a translational step toward human use.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with focal neurological problems such as certain forms of epilepsy, movement disorders, or other circuit-based brain conditions would be the most likely candidates for future treatments based on this work.
Not a fit: People without brain disorders that require focused drug delivery, or those who need immediate standard treatments, are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this preclinical project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could deliver or release medicines only where needed in the brain, improving benefit and reducing side effects.
How similar studies have performed: Focused ultrasound with conventional microbubbles has opened the blood–brain barrier and shown promise in animals and early human trials, but using phase-shift nanoemulsions for precise drug release is newer and less tested in primates.
Where this research is happening
NASHVILLE, UNITED STATES
- VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER — NASHVILLE, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: CASKEY, CHARLES F — VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
- Study coordinator: CASKEY, CHARLES F
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.