A three-year collaboration supports pioneering non-invasive treatment strategies for Alzheimer’s disease using focused ultrasound.
CLARSKBURG, Md. and CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., June 9, 2025 — BrightFocus Foundation’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research program and the Focused Ultrasound Foundation (FUSF) are proud to announce a three-year partnership to co-fund two cutting-edge research projects exploring focused ultrasound as a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.
Focused ultrasound is a transformative therapeutic platform technology that uses targeted sound waves to treat tissue deep in the body without incisions or radiation. Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most promising areas of research for focused ultrasound, with clinical trials demonstrating safe opening of the blood-brain barrier to enhance drug delivery, reduce plaques, and improve cognition.
This collaboration underscores a shared commitment to accelerating innovative, non-invasive therapies that target the biological drivers of Alzheimer’s. BrightFocus and FUSF will support two research projects aimed at enhancing the brain’s natural repair and clearance mechanisms using focused ultrasound technology.
The co-funded grants are as follows:
Dr. Isabelle Aubert (Sunnybrook Research Institute) and co-investigator Dr. Laura Vecchio, in collaboration with Kate Noseworthy and Nathalie Vacaresse, will study the use of focused ultrasound to promote oligodendrogenesis, or the regeneration of myelin-producing cells, as a novel way to restore brain function. This non-pharmacological approach has the potential to enhance brain repair mechanisms in Alzheimer’s.
Dr. Nader Saffari (University College London), in collaboration with Drs. David Attwell and George Sideris-Lampretsas, will explore whether focused ultrasound technology can be used to safely activate microglia (immune cells in the brain) to accelerate the clearance of toxic amyloid-beta plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s pathology.
These projects highlight the potential of focused ultrasound to advance Alzheimer’s research in bold new directions.
“We are excited to join forces with the Focused Ultrasound Foundation to support promising science at the intersection of neuroscience and biomedical engineering,” said Stacy Pagos Haller, President and CEO of BrightFocus Foundation. “Together, we hope to unlock new treatment approaches that are both effective and accessible for people with Alzheimer’s disease.”
“Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most significant medical challenges of our time,” said Neal F. Kassell, MD, founder and chairman of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation. “By partnering with BrightFocus Foundation, we are combining resources and expertise to advance focused ultrasound research that has the potential to change the trajectory of this disease and save lives.”
About Focused Ultrasound
Focused ultrasound uses precisely targeted sound waves to treat tissues deep within the body without incisions or radiation. By concentrating ultrasound energy at a specific point, focused ultrasound can heat, disrupt, or stimulate tissue, depending on the desired biological effect. It is guided in real time by imaging technologies like MRI or ultrasound to ensure safety and accuracy across a range of clinical applications. The technology is FDA-approved in the United States to treat essential tremor, Parkinson’s disease, liver tumors, uterine fibroids, pain from bone metastases, osteoid osteoma, and the prostate. Dozens of additional indications are approved outside of the US. The technology is in various stages of research and development for more than 180 diseases and conditions.
About BrightFocus Foundation
BrightFocus Foundation is a nonprofit organization supporting research and public education to help end Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. Learn more at www.brightfocus.org.
About Focused Ultrasound Foundation
Based in Charlottesville, VA, the Focused Ultrasound Foundation was created to improve the lives of millions of people worldwide by accelerating the development of focused ultrasound. The Foundation works to clear the path to global adoption in the shortest time possible by organizing and funding research, fostering collaboration, and building awareness among patients and professionals. Since its establishment in 2006, the Foundation has become the largest nongovernmental funding source for focused ultrasound research. Learn more at www.fusfoundation.org.
Media Contacts
Julia Roth
BrightFocus Foundation
(301) 556-9366
jroth@brightfocus.org
Allison Preston-Smith
Focused Ultrasound Foundation
(434) 326-9820
apreston-smith@fusfoundation.org
BrightFocus Foundation is a premier global nonprofit funder of research to defeat Alzheimer’s, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. Through its flagship research programs — Alzheimer’s Disease Research, Macular Degeneration Research, and National Glaucoma Research— the Foundation has awarded nearly $300 million in groundbreaking research funding over the past 51 years and shares the latest research findings, expert information, and resources to empower the millions impacted by these devastating diseases. Learn more at brightfocus.org.
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