This may be a treatment for an incurable disease such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. a matter of minutes; Getting rid of chronic pain from medications, surgeries, and doctor visits may seem like a utopia, but it’s not. And this is thanks to its technology. focused ultrasound. Dr. Eliza Konofagou leads it”bloodless” combat.

“Half of the process is like donating blood, and the other half like sitting under a heater in a barbershop“, – says the Greek professor of biomedical engineering and radiology at Columbia University. The patient sits in a chair, he is injected with serum, in rare cases anesthesia may be needed and he is “put on” a special apparatus reminiscent of … visiting a hairdresser.

Within minutes the whole process can be completed. Preliminary work takes the most time: they are needed visual tests (MRI or CT or PET) for mapped completely the area of ​​the body that will be in the “target” of focused ultrasound.

Mighty “grain of rice”

We are all familiar with the classic imaging ultrasound that we do from time to time, either in the heart, or in the thyroid gland, or during pregnancy. What is the difference between focused and thermal ultrasound (thermal ablation)? “Think of a laser pen: you can mark a point on a board and also burn something with it. Similarly with ultrasound you can visualize and if you focus and turn up the volume you can you’re on fire point,” Eliza explains to Konofagou.

Focused ultrasound is emitted at a very high frequency and therefore cannot be “caught” by either the human or animal ear. Its beam diameter as much as a grain of rice. Therefore, the Colombian professor reassures those who are worried about a possible “sonic lobotomy” if applied to the brain, since it “burns” only a very small spot.

In addition to cell cauterization, this technology can be used at a lower intensity. “open” the blood-brain barrier – the “wall” that our brain has so that it is protected from infections, and which even drugs that help with brain diseases could not break through.

This is where focused ultrasound comes to the rescue: “First, bubbles are injected intravenously. The barrier “opens” due to vibrations of bubbles at ultrasonic frequencies, that is, the vessels oscillate and relax the barrier, which consists of protein fibers,” the doctor notes. Conophage. So the ultrasound facilitates the delivery and distribution of any medicine.

Promising treatment, but not a panacea

This treatment can benefit more than just the brain. Elisa Konofagos’ laboratory is conducting clinical trials on the use of focused ultrasound in neurological diseases (Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease), V cardiac arrhythmiasbut also in some etype of cancer (in the brain and breast).

However, Ms. Konofagou acknowledges that for more serious types of cancer focused ultrasound it’s not “salvation”but medicines are needed. Of course, he notes that with the help of ultrasound, a patient can increase life expectancy or avoid dangerous operations, such as the removal of a glioma (a tumor in the brain, which, especially in children, is usually located near the spine).

On the other hand, use in diseases of the brain, such as trembling, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s seem to be effective. Revealingly, five patients with Alzheimer’s disease who were treated in the Columbia University laboratory, two showed a decrease in the level of amyloid protein.

Eliza Conofagou’s Less Intrusive Method

About a month ago, CNN article about the possibilities of focused ultrasound made a splash. The publication presents a bloodless operation using focused ultrasound on University of Toronto and University of Virginia. It’s essentially a beam of sound waves that the patient can’t hear or see, and offers relief from neurological conditions – and more – without the side effects.

The procedure, used in Canada and Virginia in the US, requires the patient to wear a head covering. huge machine like a bowl with screws, shave the entire head and stay inside the magnet for at least 2-4 hours.

The method used in the laboratory of Dr. Konofagu is even less intrusive: a smaller machine is used outside of MRI. Thus, only the site of application needs to be shaved, and the entire procedure can take less than 20 minutes.

In fact, Eliza Konofagou and her team strive to further “scissors” duration of the whole process, except for the most time-consuming part of the “equation”: careful mapping using radiographs. In fact, a Greek scientist created a startup that uses her technology for this mapping. neuronavigation. Essentially, the neuronavigation system is powered by already existing MRI images of the patient and doing a scan in the head it finds the area of ​​the brain where the ultrasound should be focused.

Technology with past and future

It is noted that focused ultrasound technology is already being used clinically for lithotripsy, that is, “breaking” kidney stones. Its use is approved in the United States for the treatment of prostate cancer, osteoid osteoma, and idiopathic tremor (tremor). IN Hellas not yet in use, but its use in applications against cancers (mainly for the prostate, with extremely successful results) has been adopted by other European countries.

According to Elisa Conofagou, the use of focused ultrasound is documented in documents and articles from early 20th century. Then, with the development of sonar technology and later ultrasound imaging, scientists began experimenting with focused ultrasound for therapeutic purposes. since the 1950s.

However, since there was no method for monitoring treatment and the technology was not that advanced at the time, the research area was abandoned due to its risk, only to be revived again at the end. 1990swith the help of an MRI scanner. Now, advances in medical technology and the ability to fully map the application site make focused ultrasound safe, as clinicians can see in live time what happens when they apply it.

Finally, the professor of biomedical engineering and radiology separates sound from ultrasound and focused ultrasound, noting that the healing properties of music (the so-called. “sound therapy”), as well as alternative and usually misleading methods such as bioresonance.

“In therapeutic ultrasound, research has also been done on laboratory animals. Its therapeutic use scientifically proven“, he emphasizes.