Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42688794›Full record

ArticleCell biomaterials2026

Focused Ultrasound is Poised to Take Non-Viral Gene Therapies to the Blood-Brain Barrier - and Beyond.

Eden N Gordon, Anna C Debski, Victoria R Breza, Matthew R Hoch, Nareen Z Anwar, Khondamir Imomnazarov, Alec J Batts, Matthew R DeWitt, Natasha D Sheybani, Richard J Price

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Cell biomaterials, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Eden N GordonDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.
Anna C DebskiDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.
Victoria R BrezaDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.
Matthew R HochDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.
Nareen Z AnwarDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.
Khondamir ImomnazarovDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.
Alec J BattsDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.
Matthew R DeWittDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.
Natasha D SheybaniDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.
Richard J PriceDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.ORCID 0000-0002-0237-2102

Funding

Immunoengineering Next-Generation Cancer Therapies with Focused UltrasoundDP5OD031846 · OD · UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA · PI SHEYBANI, NATASHA DIBA · 2021 to 2025
$2.0M
MR Image-Guided Drug Delivery to Cerebral Cavernous Malformations with Focused UltrasoundR01CA279134 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA · PI Richard J. Price · 2024 to 2026
$1.8M
Alzheimer's Disease Therapy via the MR Image-Guided Deletion of Microglial SHIP-1 with Focused UltrasoundR01AG086344 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA · PI John R Lukens, Richard J. Price · 2025 to 2026
$1.5M
Focused Ultrasound and CAR T Cells for Pediatric Brain MalignanciesR21CA292273 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA · PI Dalia Haydar, Natasha Diba Sheybani · 2025 to 2026
$438k
Augmenting focused ultrasound-mediated drug delivery to brain tumors with vascular normalizationR21CA286367 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA · PI PRICE, RICHARD J. · 2024 to 2024
$399k
Engineering Focused Ultrasound-Mediated Gene Delivery Platforms for GlioblastomaF31CA295067 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA · PI DEBSKI, ANNA COLLEEN · 2024 to 2025
$82k
NCI NIH HHS F31 CA295067NCI NIH HHS R01 CA279134NCI NIH HHS R21 CA286367NCI NIH HHS R21 CA292273NIA NIH HHS R01 AG086344NIH HHS DP5 OD031846
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) offers a highly specialized protective boundary for the brain, but severely limits therapeutic delivery, posing major challenges for treating neurological diseases and solid tumors. Focused ultrasound (FUS) has emerged as a powerful tool to noninvasively and transiently disrupt the BBB to enable localized delivery of drugs and gene therapies. More commonly paired with viral vectors like adeno-associated virus (AAV), FUS is now being explored with non-viral vectors such as polymeric and lipid nanoparticles, which offer tunable chemistry, repeat dosing potential, and capability to deliver varying cargos. Upon promising advances, future directions aim to improve safety, target immune modulation, and integrate diagnostic imaging for theranostic potential. Overall, the convergence of FUS and non-viral nanocarrier technologies represents a transformative approach for precise, minimally invasive, and accessible gene delivery to the central nervous system.

Identifiers

PMID42688794
PMCPMC13536952

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.