Data‐Driven Feedback Identifies Focused Ultrasound Exposure Regimens for Improved Nanotheranostic Targeting of the Brain
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) renders the delivery of nanomedicine in the brain ineffective and the detection of circulating disease-related DNA from the brain unreliable. Here, we demonstrate that microbubble-enhanced focused ultrasound (MB-FUS) mediated BBB opening, supported by large-data models predict sonication regimens for safe and effective BBB opening. Importantly, a closed-loop MB-FUS controller augmented by machine learning (ML-CL) expands the treatment window, as compared to conventional controllers, by persistently and proactively maximizing the BBB permeability while preventing tissue damage. By successfully scaling up from mice to rats and from healthy to diseased brains (glioma), ML-CL rendered the BBB permeable to large nanoparticles and markedly improved the release and detection of reporter gene DNA from tumors in blood. Together, our findings reveal the potential of data-driven feedback to support the development of next-generation AI-powered ultrasound systems for safe, robust, and efficient nanotheranostic targeting and treatment of brain diseases.
Authors
- Felix J. Herrmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1180-2167)
- Costas Arvanitis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7737-1446)
- Anton V. Bryksin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3302-8248)
- Nidhi Pandey
- Chulyong Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-7550-0980)
- Pavlos Anastasiadis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0230-7925)
- T. MacDonald
- Naima Djeddar
- Hohyun Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7939-6751)
- Chetan Bettegowda (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9991-7123)
- Cynthia M. Baseman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8507-438X)
- Jae Hyun Kim
- Victor Menezes
- Pranav Premdas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8451-0467)
- Shiqin Zeng
- Graeme F. Woodworth
- Anthony J. Kim
- Samhita Padmanabhan
Institutions
- University of Maryland, Baltimore (US)
- Georgia Institute of Technology (US)
- Johns Hopkins University (US)
- Emory University (US)
- Johns Hopkins Medicine (US)
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (US)
- Woodruff Health Sciences Center (US)
- Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (US)
- University of Baltimore (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Science
- Published
- 2026-01-07
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202517834
- Primary Topic
- Ultrasound and Hyperthermia Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Focused Ultrasound Foundation
- National Institutes of Health
- National Cancer Institute