A cancer treatment invented at the University of Michigan is being hailed as one of the most significant non-invasive breakthroughs in oncology in decades.
Histotripsy uses focused ultrasound waves to mechanically destroy tumor tissue without a single incision, drug or beam of radiation. The technique was invented at U-M in 2002 by researchers including Zhen Xu, a professor of biomedical engineering.
The method works by generating microsecond-long pulses of sound that create tiny bubbles inside the tumor. Those bubbles expand and contract, putting mechanical stress on the tissue until the cancer cells break apart.
In October 2023, the FDA approved histotripsy for liver tumors, clearing it for use in humans through HistoSonics, a company co-founded in 2009 by University of Michigan engineers and doctors. Thousands of patients have since been treated, with trials now underway for kidney and prostate cancers.
Researchers have also found that even partial destruction of a tumor can matter. Doctoral student Tejaswi Worlikar said histotripsy “can overcome the limitations of currently available ablation modalities and provide safe and effective noninvasive liver tumor ablation.”
This September, the university opened a new $10 million Histotripsy Center, funded by HistoSonics, Michigan Engineering and private donors, to expand the technology into other cancers including thyroid, pancreas, breast, prostate, brain, skin and sarcoma. A separate neuro program is working to adapt the technique for brain diseases.
The center will also open its equipment to outside researchers at no cost. Xu said her hope is that the center will bring histotripsy “to a wide scientific community and eventually to all clinicians and patients.”
Leaders of the program believe the technology could eventually lead to additional FDA approvals and reach hundreds of thousands of patients within five years. Source: Facebook