Liver Cancer

University of Michigan Health will purchase the Edison platform used to deliver histotripsy, a technology pioneered at the university that uses sound waves to destroy tissue. HistoSonics, a company co-founded by U-M faculty, received approval this week from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to use histotripsy via the Edison platform in liver treatment.

Noninvasive sound technology developed at the University of Michigan breaks down liver tumors in rats, kills cancer cells and spurs the immune system to prevent further spread—an advance that could lead to improved cancer outcomes in humans.

The University of Michigan is one of eight sites around the country that will enroll patients in a clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a technology that uses ultrasound to treat liver tumors.

Research at the U-M Rogel Cancer Center finds that tumors in the liver siphon off critical immune cells, rendering immunotherapy ineffective. But coupling immunotherapy with radiotherapy to the liver in mice restored the immune cell function and led to better outcomes.