April 08, 2025

Ep27: How Histotripsy is Changing the Game: A Conversation with Zhen Xu, PhD

30 minutes

In this episode of Curing with Sound, Zhen Xu, PhD, the Li Ka Shing Endowed Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan, discusses histotripsy. Dr. Xu and her colleagues developed histotripsy, the first noninvasive, nonthermal ultrasound ablation technique that received FDA approval for liver tumor treatment in 2023. Her work has led to multiple clinical trials on histotripsy treatment for malignant and benign tumors.

Dr. Xu shares the 20-year journey from initial discovery to clinical application and highlights histotripsy's remarkable ability to mechanically break down targeted tissue without incisions or radiation. She also recounts inspiring patient stories from clinical trials, including patients who experienced no pain and returned to normal activities immediately after treatment.

Regulatory Approval: In October 2023, the FDA cleared HistoSonics’ novel therapy platform, Edison™, to treat liver tumors. Edison™ uses histotripsy to noninvasively destroy liver tissue. This is the first time the use of histotripsy has earned regulatory approval worldwide.

The Science Behind Histotripsy: Dr. Xu explains how histotripsy uses focused ultrasound pulses to rapidly expand and collapse microbubbles that break down targeted cells with remarkable precision.

Future Directions: Dr. Xu envisions continued expansion of histotripsy applications over the next five years, including wider adoption for liver tumors, regulatory approvals for additional indications, and the development of new platforms for brain and shallow tumor treatments.

Histotripsy Lab: histotripsy.umich.edu

Connect on Linked In: Dr. Zhen Xu

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

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By Focused Ultrasound Foundation

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