NEWS

UVA Health launches world's first focused ultrasound cancer immunotherapy center

Monique Calello
Staunton News Leader
Vehicles pass in front of the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville.

CHARLOTTESVILLE – UVA Health and the Charlottesville-based Focused Ultrasound Foundation Wednesday announced the launch of the Focused Ultrasound Cancer Immunotherapy Center, the world’s first center dedicated specifically to advancing a focused ultrasound and cancer immunotherapy treatment approach that could revolutionize 21st-century cancer care, according to a press release. 

Immunotherapy, which harnesses the immune system to battle cancer, is the most important breakthrough in cancer treatment in decades. So far, however, it has proven effective for only 20% to 40% of patients. But combining immunotherapy with focused ultrasound – a game-changing soundwave technology – has been found to overcome existing limitations of immunotherapy and may open new fronts in the war against many different forms of cancer, from breast cancer to brain tumors. 

The center will cement the University of Virginia’s place as the preeminent site for translational research, education and patient care using the cutting-edge combination of focused ultrasound technology and cancer immunotherapy. 

“We are excited to announce this powerful multidisciplinary and interdepartmental collaboration effort with the Focused Ultrasound Foundation and the Commonwealth of Virginia to expand treatment options for our cancer patients in this advancing field,” said Dr. K. Craig Kent, Chief Executive Officer of UVA Health and Executive Vice President for Health Affairs at UVA. “Our combined initial investment of $8 million will purchase state-of-the-art focused ultrasound devices, create new jobs to hire faculty and staff, and fund laboratory research studies and clinical trials.”

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“Focused ultrasound is proving to enhance the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy throughout the cancer immunity cycle in a variety of ways,” said Dr. Neal F. Kassell, Founder and Chairman of the Foundation, which works in partnership with the Cancer Research Institute and the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy to fund focused ultrasound cancer immunotherapy research around the world.

“It can stimulate the body’s immune response to convert immunologically ‘cold’ tumors — such as most breast cancers – into ‘hot’ tumors, making more patients responders," said Kassell. "It can also enhance the delivery of immunotherapeutics to tumors, and it may also augment the effectiveness of immunotherapeutics, enabling more robust and prolonged response to drugs and decreasing the doses needed.”

The center is designed to capitalize on UVA’s strengths — including cancer immunotherapy, focused ultrasound and medical imaging — and to leverage the expertise of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation to better understand focused ultrasound’s ability to improve a patient's immune response to their cancer. 

The center’s goals include:

  • Understanding how to optimize the antitumor effect of focused ultrasound;
  • Developing new focused ultrasound technologies; and
  • Improving quality of life and survival for patients with a variety of cancers while enhancing access to cutting-edge care and reducing costs.

Additional information about the center is available at med.virginia.edu/uva-focused-ultrasound-cancer-immunotherapy-center/.

To learn more about focused ultrasound, visit www.fusfoundation.org; to learn about focused ultrasound at UVA, visit uvahealth.com/services/focused-ultrasound.

The National Cancer Institute recently recognized UVA Cancer Center’s leading-edge research and exceptional patient care by designating it one of only 52 Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the country. This designation is reserved for the most elite cancer centers in America; UVA Cancer Center is the only Comprehensive Cancer Center in Virginia.

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— Monique Calello (she/her) is a social justice reporter with The News Leader in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. Story ideas are always welcome. You can reach her at  mcalello@newsleader.com. Follow her on Twitter @moniquecalello

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