The sensation of pain is an essential biological signal, but when it becomes persistent and overwhelming, it can significantly impact one’s quality of life. People suffering from chronic pain often experience a disruption in the brain’s signaling, leading to false alarms about resolved injuries or non-existent conditions.
Finding effective and long-lasting relief is a constant pursuit for individuals facing this debilitating challenge. Fortunately, a groundbreaking device developed by the University of Utah may offer a transformative solution.
In a recent breakthrough, researchers at the University of Utah‘s John and Marcia Price College of Engineering and Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine have unveiled compelling results from an experimental therapy.
Remarkably, many participants have reported experiencing relief after just a single treatment session. This innovative approach holds significant promise for those in need of effective and sustainable pain management solutions.
At the heart of this groundbreaking research lies Diadem, an innovative biomedical device designed to use ultrasound for noninvasive deep brain stimulation, offering potential relief from chronic pain by disrupting faulty neural signals.
The latest clinical trial results, published in the esteemed journal Pain, mark a significant milestone. Building upon two earlier studies featured in Nature Communications Engineering and IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, these findings showcase the device’s unparalleled features and capabilities.
This study, spearheaded by Jan Kubanek, a distinguished professor in Price’s Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME), and Thomas Riis, a dedicated postdoctoral researcher, represents a collaboration with esteemed experts including Akiko Okifuji, a renowned Anesthesiology Professor in the School of Medicine, along with the contributions of Daniel Feldman, a promising graduate student in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Psychiatry, and the invaluable support of laboratory technician Adam Losser.
In an impactful randomized sham-controlled study, we enlisted 20 participants suffering from chronic pain. Each participant underwent two 40-minute sessions with Diadem, receiving either genuine or sham ultrasound stimulation. The participants reported their pain levels one day and one week after their sessions.
Astonishingly, 60% of the group treated with the real ultrasound stimulation experienced a clinically significant reduction in symptoms at both points. This indicates the promising potential of the real treatment in alleviating chronic pain.
“We were not expecting such strong and immediate effects from only one treatment,” says Riis.
“The rapid onset of the pain symptom improvements as well as their sustained nature are intriguing and open doors for applying these noninvasive treatments to the many patients who are resistant to current treatments,” Kubanek says.
Diadem’s pioneering approach is grounded in neuromodulation, a cutting-edge therapeutic technique aimed at directly regulating specific brain circuits. While other neuromodulation methods rely on electric currents and magnetic fields, they fall short in selectively targeting the brain structure under investigation in the researchers’ recent trial: the anterior cingulate cortex.
Following an initial functional MRI scan to map the target region, the researchers fine-tune Diadem’s ultrasound emitters, compensating for the way the waves deflect off the skull and other brain structures. The team is now gearing up for a Phase 3 clinical trial, marking the crucial final stage before seeking FDA approval to make Diadem available as a transformative treatment for the broader population.
“If you or your relatives suffer from chronic pain that does not respond to treatments, please reach out to us; we need to recruit many participants so that these treatments can be approved for the general public,” says Kubanek. “With your help, we think chronic pain can be effectively silenced. And with new pain treatment options, we can tackle the opioid crisis, too.”
Journal reference:
- Thomas S. Riis, Daniel A. Feldman, Adam J. Losser, Akiko Okifuji, Jan Kubanek. Noninvasive targeted modulation of pain circuits with focused ultrasonic waves. Pain, 2024; DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003322