Vascular Pre-Treatment for Augmented Focused Ultrasound Mediated Drug Delivery

Introduction: Glioblastoma (GBM) has limited treatment responses party due to vascular heterogeneity, with regions of intact blood brain barrier and regions of leaky, dysregulated blood tumor barrier (BTB). Thus, reducing delivery of circulating therapies, resulting in limited, heterogeneous drug exposure within tumors [1]. MRI-guided focused ultrasound (FUS) can be used to open the BTB to increase delivery [2]; however, GBM vasculature remains a challenge. Herein we combine anti-angiogenic pre-treatment with MRI-guided FUS to inform FUS timing and enhance low-molecular weight model drug delivery.

Matthew Hoch – Graduate Student, BIomedical Engineering, University of Virginia; Anna Debski – Graduate Student, BIomedical Engineering, University of Virginia; Claire Huchthausen – Undergraduate Student, BIomedical Engineering, University of Virginia; Claire Conarroe – Graduate Student, Pathology, University of Virginia; Katherine Nowak – Graduate Student, Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia; Catherine Gorick – Senior Scientist, BIomedical Engineering, University of Virginia; Richard Price – PI, BIomedical Engineering, University of Virginia