Ultrasound Localization Microscopy (ULM) for the characterization of kidneys and breast cancer

ULM has shown great promise in preclinical studies for characterizing tissue through its microvasculature. Proof of principle has also been demonstrated in patients, but there is still a long way to go before it will become a robust routine clinical tool. In this presentation, we report on our efforts to clinically translate ULM for the characterization of chronic kidney disease and breast cancer. We explain our approach to optimize and validate the measurement protocol and the degree of reconstruction. We then present two clinical studies: In the first, ULM was used to characterize transplant kidneys and we show the visualization of glomeruli and the correlation of ULM parameters with the renal resistive index. In the second study, we evaluate ULM for its ability to discriminate between responders and non-responders to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients and show a better discriminatory power than histology. Thus, ULM is ready for implementation in clinical trials and initial data highlight its high diagnostic value for various indications.