"The goal of this trial is to examine the safety of temporarily opening the blood-brain barrier in key motor regions known to be implicated in Parkinson's disease and delivering promising therapeutics directly to these areas of the brain," said Dr. Lipsman, Director of Sunnybrook's Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation.
Pat Wilson, the first patient in the Sunnybrook study said, "I hope that by taking part in this clinical trial, I can help make a difference. My father had Parkinson's, and I saw the difficulties he faced. I am living with the challenges of this condition, and I hope that this study can help in finding a treatment to help others with Parkinson's in the future."
Both ongoing trials are using Insightec's Exablate Neuro device, and the trial in Toronto is funded in part by the Focused Ultrasound Foundation.
"Focused ultrasound is a revolutionary, noninvasive technology that has the potential to transform the treatment of Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders," said Neal F. Kassell, MD, Chairman and Founder of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation. "These two studies are a critical first step in using focused ultrasound to treat the underlying causes of Parkinson's disease."
About Focused Ultrasound
Focused ultrasound uses ultrasound energy guided by real-time imaging to treat tissue deep in the body without incisions or radiation. Focused ultrasound is FDA approved in the United States to treat essential tremor, tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease, uterine fibroids, pain from bone metastases, and the prostate. Dozens of additional indications are approved outside of the US. The technology is in various stages of research and development for more than 130 diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and tumors of the brain, liver, breast, and pancreas.
About the Focused Ultrasound Foundation
The Focused Ultrasound Foundation was created to improve the lives of millions of people worldwide by accelerating the development of this noninvasive technology. The Foundation works to clear the path to global adoption by organizing and funding research, fostering collaboration, and building awareness among patients and professionals. Since its establishment in 2006, the Foundation has become the largest nongovernmental source of funding for focused ultrasound research.
SOURCE Focused Ultrasound Foundation
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