Potential Breakthrough for Alzheimer’s Treatment: Focused Ultrasound Combined With Monoclonal Antibodies May Slow Disease Progression

Latest issue of The New England Journal of Medicine reports promising results in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease using focused ultrasound technology to disrupt blood-brain barrier

• Focused ultrasound temporarily opens up blood-brain barrier to facilitate drug delivery
• Study finds combination approach of focused ultrasound and delivery of monoclonal antibodies can lead to accelerated reduction of beta-amyloid plaque, a hallmark for Alzheimer’s disease
• Alzheimer’s disease is a condition that affects 6.7 million Americans today

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: HAIFA, Israel and MIAMI, FL (Jan. 4, 2024) – Insightec, a global healthcare company dedicated to using acoustic energy to transform patient care, today announced a promising clinical study in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease leveraging focused ultrasound (FUS) technology, which has been reported in the latest issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

The study, conducted with WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI), presents encouraging benefits for Alzheimer’s disease patients. Researchers at RNI in collaboration with Insightec were able to combine the use of focused ultrasound to open the blood-brain barrier with delivery of a systemic monoclonal antibody infusion, enhancing the removal of cerebral beta-amyloid, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. This innovative treatment approach shows promise in enhancing targeted drug delivery in Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological conditions.

“Focused ultrasound provides a new opportunity for Insightec collaborations with drug companies to improve drug delivery to the brain,” says Maurice R. Ferré, MD, Insightec’s CEO and chairman of the board. “Only 1-2% of drugs can cross the blood-brain barrier, making progress difficult and patient safety challenging when using large systemic drug concentrations. The ability to disrupt the blood-brain barrier to effectively deliver treatment demonstrates the power and potential of using focused ultrasound technology when addressing complex neurological conditions.”

“The results from this proof of concept study are encouraging and chart a path forward to improve drug delivery in combating Alzheimer’s disease,” said Ali Rezai, M.D., executive chair of RNI. “Our long-time close collaboration with Insightec has helped accelerate advances in treatment of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological diseases.”

Alzheimer’s disease is a condition that affects 6.7 million Americans today – and promising new therapies are emerging to address this unmet medical need. This potential breakthrough discovery opens up new avenues for research and provides renewed hope for patients and their loved ones. As research progresses, it is anticipated that this treatment approach will continue to evolve and refine, paving the way for even more effective treatments.

Neither the manufacturer of the ultrasound device (Insightec, Tirat Carmel, Israel) nor the manufacturer of aducanumab (Biogen, Cambridge, USA -) sponsored the research or participated in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or manuscript writing in any way.

For more information about the study, click here.

About Insightec

Insightec is a global healthcare company creating the next generation of patient care by realizing the therapeutic power of acoustic energy. The company’s Exablate Neuro platform focuses sound waves, safely guided by MRI, to provide tremor treatment to patients with medication-refractory essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease. Research for future applications in the neuroscience space is underway in partnership with leading academic and medical institutions. Insightec is headquartered in Haifa, Israel, and Miami, with offices in Dallas, Shanghai, and Tokyo.

About the West Virginia University Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute                           

The WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI) is a world-class multidisciplinary patient care, education, and research institute with 250 faculty members across five departments, and over 1,500 professionals providing neurological and mental health care for 275,000 patients annually. The RNI improves lives by pioneering advances in brain health and therapeutics. The RNI team uses the latest technologies with academic and industry partnerships to make tangible progress to combat public health challenges ranging from addiction to Alzheimer’s disease. For more information about the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, visit WVUMedicine.org/RNI.

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Forward-looking Statements:

This document contains forward-looking statements regarding, among other things, plans, expectations, and future events. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the following words: “may,” “can,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,” “promise,” “continue,” “ongoing,” or the negative of these terms. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from what is expressed or implied by the statements. Any forward-looking statement is based on information available to Insightec as of the date of the statement. All written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to Insightec are qualified by this caution. Insightec does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect any change in circumstances or in Insightec’s expectations.

“Exablate,” and “Exablate Neuro,” as well as the “INSIGHTEC” logo, whether standing alone or in connection with the word “Insightec,” are protected trademarks of Insightec.

Insightec Media Contact:
G&S Business Communications for Insightec
Emily DeCamillis

edecamillis@gscommunications.com