ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WOWO) — The University of Michigan has opened a new research facility dedicated to histotripsy, an ultrasound-based technology being developed as a noninvasive way to destroy cancerous tissue while limiting damage to surrounding healthy tissue. The University of Michigan Histotri psy Center was formally opened Sept. 10 in Ann Arbor with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. University officials say the center will give researchers from U-M and other institutions access to specialized equipment and expertise aimed at speeding the development of histotripsy and moving additional applications toward clinical use. Histotripsy was developed by a University of Michigan research team led by Dr. Zhen Xu. The technique uses precisely focused ultrasound pulses to target tissue. Rather than using an instrument to physically remove a tumor or relying on heat to destroy it, histotripsy uses ultrasound to create and manipulate microscopic bubbles within the targeted tissue. Those bubbles expand and collapse, mechanically disrupting the tissue at the treatment site. The technology has drawn attention as a potential way to treat tumors without an incision according to WLNS. U-M Interim President Domenico Grasso said the university sees the technology as potentially becoming an important part of cancer treatment. “Michigan is at its best when our brightest minds connect to tackle the most consequential challenges facing society,” Grasso said in a university news release. Grasso said he believes histotripsy could eventually be remembered alongside major medical advances associated with the university, including its contributions to vaccine development. The research team behind histotripsy created HistoSonics, a company that has continued development of the technology and worked to bring it into hospitals and treatment centers. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the use of histotripsy for treating liver tumors in 2023. Research is continuing into whether the technology can be used against other types of cancer. University officials say kidney and pancreatic tumors are among the areas being studied, with potential additional FDA authorizations anticipated as research progresses. The technology is already being used clinically in some settings. James Morrison, a radiologist with Corewell Health, previously described histotripsy to WOOD TV8 as completely noninvasive and emphasized the precision of the treatment. “Unlike other noninvasive technologies, it doesn’t damage any of the surrounding tissue,” Morrison said. “So we can be very focused on the cancer itself and preserve as much of the normal tissue as much as possible.” Corewell Health acquired a HistoSonics system last year. Morrison said early patients were initially kept under observation as a precaution, but that the expectation is for patients to eventually be able to go home the same day following treatment. Morrison said the early treatments went smoothly and that tumors were successfully ablated. The new Histotripsy Center is intended to take the technology beyond its current applications. University officials say the center will initially focus on three major areas. One will involve continuing to refine histotripsy for the treatment of additional cancers. Another will examine potential uses of the technology in treating diseases of the brain. The third area is described by researchers as “acoustic medicine,” a broader effort to use sound-based technologies to develop new noninvasive medical treatments. The center also plans to develop what the university describes as a travel system, allowing researchers elsewhere to access histotripsy technology and conduct research without necessarily traveling to Ann Arbor. Xu said he envisions significant expansion of the research effort during the next five years. “In the next half decade, I envision the Histotripsy Center expanding from our lab to support thousands of researchers around the country, conduct as many as 100 projects at one time, publish over 100 joint papers and file 50 patents a year,” Xu said. Xu also said the research could provide a foundation for additional regulatory approvals and expanded patient access. “Using this high research productivity as a solid foundation, we expect to see 3-5 new FDA approvals for new diseases and to be able to treat hundreds of thousands of patients in the next five years,” Xu said. Those goals remain dependent on continued research, clinical testing and FDA review. The technology’s current FDA authorization is limited to specific uses, meaning additional applications cannot be assumed to be approved simply because researchers are studying them. HistoSonics has also grown substantially as the technology has moved from university research toward clinical use. As of June, the company was valued at approximately $3.75 billion and employed about 500 people. The University of Michigan’s new center is designed to bridge the gap between continued laboratory research and broader medical applications, giving researchers access to specialized histotripsy equipment while expanding investigations into cancer and other diseases. For patients, the longer-term goal is a treatment platform that can precisely target diseased tissue without surgery and with less disruption to surrounding healthy tissue. For researchers, the new center provides a dedicated facility to determine where the technology can safely and effectively be used next. The post University of Michigan Opens New Histotripsy Center to Advance Noninvasive Cancer Treatment appeared first on WOWO News/Talk 92.3 FM and 1190 AM. ...read more read less