Philips Healthcare and The Focused Ultrasound Foundation have formed an ultrasound therapy research venture with The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London, and The Royal Marsden National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust.
The public-private collaboration will create a focal point for ultrasound therapy research at the ICR and under the international Focused Ultrasound Foundation Centers of Excellence Program, according to the organizations. Launched this autumn with a clinical trial to evaluate treatment of bone metastases in cancer patients, the new initiative will provide a resource for clinicians and scientists working on high-intensity focused ultrasound therapy, developing clinical evidence in oncology and establishing best practices, treatment standards, and protocols, Philips and the Focused Ultrasound Foundation said.
A similar center was established at the University of Virginia in 2009 to advance the use of focused ultrasound, with an emphasis on brain disorders.
The London center will be led by Dr. Gail ter Haar and Dr. Nandita deSouza. Ter Haar head's the ICR's therapy ultrasound team, while deSouza is the lead academic radiologist at the ICR and The Royal Marsden. DeSouza will serve as the initiative's clinical director.
