A management-led syndicate of prominent investors acquired a majority stake in Histosonics Inc. that values the company at approximately $2.25 billion. The funding will support expansion of the Edison Histotripsy system and therapy platform into new clinical indications and markets. Edison uses non-invasive focused ultrasound energy to destroy tumors.

One of the challenges in designing genetic and cellular strategies is getting the therapy to the right place. This is even more complicated when it comes to the nervous system. The brain is a complex organ that contains the most differentiated and inaccessible cells in human biology. It is an impassable safe, protected by the blood-brain barrier.

Stimulating the liver with focused ultrasound decreased obesity, chronic inflammation and metabolic dysfunction in preclinical studies, reported GE Research and the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, the research arm of Northwell Health. In a study published in Scientific Reports, researchers demonstrated that nerve modulation with ultrasound in mice helped regulate neurons involved in food intake, glucose regulation and metabolism without negative side effects.

TORONTO – If Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital and the W. Garfield Weston Foundation get their way, a CA$33 million (US$24 million) initiative unveiled March 2 dramatically will increase patient access to made-to-measure ultrasound technology for penetrating the blood-brain barrier to treat Alzheimer's disease and brain cancer.

Tirat Carmel, Israel-based Insightec Ltd. has inked a deal for a series F financing of up to $150 million led by Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT), a subsidiary of Koch Industries. The round, which has a post-money valuation of $1.3 billion, is earmarked for continued study of the company’s low-intensity, focused ultrasound technology in treating certain movement disorders.