Ultrasound Technique Helps MIR, WashU Researchers Find Neurodegenerative Disorder Biomarkers

Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis — including researchers from the university’s Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology (MIR) — have found that using a noninvasive ultrasound technique could help facilitate the diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorders.

The technique, sonobiopsy, uses focused ultrasound to target a precise location in the brain. In a mouse model, researchers discovered that sonobiopsy released more tau proteins and another biomarker into the blood than without the intervention.

Arash Nazeri, MD, assistant professor of radiology, served as co-senior author alongside Hong Chen, PhD, associate professor of biomedical engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering and of radiation oncology in the School of Medicine. Tammie L.S. Benzinger, MD, PhD, professor of radiology, also contributed to the project.

Read more from the McKelvey School of Engineering.