Developing noninvasive platforms for real-time acoustic and thermal monitoring.

Our laboratory engineers fast passive acoustic mapping (PAM) methods to reconstruct microbubble (MB) acoustic emissions with high spatial and temporal resolution (IEEE TBME, 2018). By integrating the Heterogeneous Angular Spectrum Approach (HASA) for wave propagation through heterogeneous media (IEEE TMI, 2019), our PAM framework corrects trans-skull phase and amplitude aberrations to accurately map acoustic emissions through the skull.

For thermal applications, we designed and implemented a Magnetic Resonance Imaging-guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) system for localized trans-skull hyperthermia (Theranostics, 2021). This platform integrates real-time MR imaging feedback to visualize temperature distributions and maintain controlled thermal stress deep within the brain.

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Together, these image-guided platforms enable real-time monitoring and spatial mapping of the mechanical and thermal effects of focused ultrasound in vivo. Beyond spatio-temporal tracking, these engineering capabilities provide the quantitative foundation required to elucidate complex mechanobiological interactions and establish safe, predictable exposure paradigms for clinical translation in central nervous system diseases.