Ultrasonic drug uncaging and debris clearance for noninvasive neurointervention
5th March 2026
Timing : 1 pm ET
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For a list of all talks at the NanoBio seminar series Spring'26, see here
Towards a translatable and versatile ultrasound-gated targeted drug delivery vehicle, we have developed and validated acoustically-activatable liposomes for targeted uncaging of small molecule drugs at millimetrically-resolved regions of interest in the body and brain. The clinical translation potential of this vehicle is supported by it being composed only of validated, common, and safe pharmaceutical excipients. We anticipate opening a first-in-human trial in mid-2026 using this vehicle to enable targeted delivery of ketamine to the dorsal anterior cingulate in patients with chronic pain.
Additionally, we have developed a low-intensity ultrasound protocol that upregulates mediators of the glymphatic system and modulates key neuroinflammatory markers. Via noninvasive activation of mechanosensitive channels expressed by microglia and astrocytes, we shift the phenotype of these key non-neuronal cells to enable these positive bioeffects. In hemorrhagic stroke models, these effects were sufficient to reduce neuroinflammation and edema, increase functional recovery, reduce morbidity, and increase survival. We are now also clinically translating this protocol and will open a first-in-human trial of it in early 2026.
Overall, we envision each of these technologies - ultrasonic drug uncaging from acoustically activatable liposomes, and ultrasonic debris clearance - as key additions to the armament of clinicians who may use therapeutic ultrasound to noninvasively treat myriad neurologic and psychiatric disorders.
Dr. Raag Airan
Raag Airan MD, PhD is an Associate Professor of Radiology, a neuroradiologist, and directs a lab that develops, validates, and clinically translates focused ultrasound-based methods for intervening upon the nervous system. After developing and preclinically validating these technologies, his lab is now working to open first-in-human clinical trials of each technology in 2026. Dr. Airan completed his undergraduate degrees in physics and mathematics from MIT, his MD and PhD in bioengineering at Stanford, and his residency in diagnostic radiology and fellowship in neuroradiology at Johns Hopkins before returning to join the faculty at Stanford in 2016.
Raag Airan MD, PhD is an Associate Professor of Radiology, a neuroradiologist, and directs a lab that develops, validates, and clinically translates focused ultrasound-based methods for intervening upon the nervous system. After developing and preclinically validating these technologies, his lab is now working to open first-in-human clinical trials of each technology in 2026. Dr. Airan completed his undergraduate degrees in physics and mathematics from MIT, his MD and PhD in bioengineering at Stanford, and his residency in diagnostic radiology and fellowship in neuroradiology at Johns Hopkins before returning to join the faculty at Stanford in 2016.