Longmont, Colo.-based Acertara, an independent ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accredited medical ultrasound acoustic measurement, testing, and calibration laboratory, and ISO 13485:2003 certified probe repair and new product development facility, announces that its R&D team has partnered with Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore through a research grant from the Focused Ultrasound Foundation.
The study will determine if focused ultrasound can be used to increase drug delivery to the bladder wall. Acertara’s Nicholas Ellens, PhD, who was instrumental in securing the research grant, commented on the study, saying: “If effective, this technology could be used to treat a variety of bladder diseases, including bladder cancer, with minimal side effects to the patient. Bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer among men and this technology has the potential to improve the survival rate of many thousands of people throughout the world.”
This early-stage research is being conducted on rats by the research team at Johns Hopkins and Acertara, but the team is hopeful to translate the technology to humans quickly. Updates will be published on the Focused Ultrasound Foundation website throughout the year.
