Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, led by Hong Chen and Chih-Yen Chien, developed a quality assurance protocol for focused ultrasound (FUS) combined with microbubbles to ensure safe and consistent delivery of drugs or retrieval of biomarkers through the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Their study, published in biomedicine, introduces an acoustic sensor that evaluates device performance, acoustic coupling quality, and treatment consistency. The protocol successfully passed quality assurance in 9 of 10 patients, though some initial tests for acoustic coupling required adjustments. This new method promises to enhance the reliability of FUS treatments and could be applied to other ultrasound-based techniques.
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