Key Points
- The first-of-its-kind center will offer expertise and access to specialized equipment to researchers within the U-M community and beyond.
- The innovative technology was developed at U-M, is FDA cleared to treat liver tumors, and is being researched for many other conditions.
On September 10, the University of Michigan (U-M) launched a first-of-its-kind Histotripsy Center, expanding the use of the innovative technology invented there.
Histotripsy uses focused ultrasound to produce controlled acoustic cavitation that mechanically destroys and liquifies targeted tissue without heating. The method was invented and named in 2002 by Zhen Xu, PhD, the Li Ka Shing Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and the late Charles A Cain, PhD, at U-M. Dr. Xu is the founding director of the new Histotripsy Center.
The center will offer access to specialized equipment and expertise to researchers within the U-M community and beyond. In its initial phase, the team will launch three programs to help advance the technology’s potential related to cancer, neurological indications, and educating the next generation of researchers. A second phase will focus on training clinicians and expanding human clinical trials.
“The center’s strategy is to make collaboration with outside institutions as easy as possible,” said Dr. Xu. “Researchers can come to Ann Arbor to perform tests with the center’s equipment — which is not commercially available. We also have a mobile histotripsy system for those who cannot travel to us. In the next half decade, I envision the Histotripsy Center expanding from our lab to support thousands of researchers around the country.”
The center is based on $10 million support by U-M, HistoSonics, and private donors, including the Li Ka Shing Foundation.
Commercializing Innovation
In 2009, Dr. Xu and a group of U-M engineers and doctors founded HistoSonics, a company that has expanded the use of histotripsy and was recently valued at $3.75 billion. In October 2023, the HistoSonics Edison system became the first histotripsy device to be granted US Food and Drug Administration clearance for the treatment of liver tumors. This was the first time the use of histotripsy earned regulatory approval worldwide.
Since then, the device has been installed in approximately 200 centers around the world and been used to treat more than 5,000 patients. The technology is also being researched to treat a variety of conditions, including pancreatic tumors, kidney tumors, and benign prostatic hyperplasia, as well as veterinary applications. The Focused Ultrasound Foundation provided funding for early-stage research that helped establish the feasibility for histotripsy.
See the Histotripsy Center’s Website
See coverage by The Detroit Free Press and Forbes