Research
The focus of the BADER Lab is utilization of bubble-based therapies to sensitize pathologies resistant to standard interventional approaches. Specifically, we develop and translate histotripsy technology, a focused ultrasound therapy that activates bubble nuclei intrinsic to the tissue targets. The resultant bubble activity can be utilized to ablate tissue, or enhance the delivery of drug agents.
Histotripsy-generated bubble cloud captured in real-time with a DSLR camera (Nikon D3400, Minato, Tokyo, Japan). The acoustic pulse propagates from the left to right in this video.
(Top panel) Representative histotripsy waveform. The tension of the pulse actives nanoscale bubble nuclei within the tissue.
(Bottom panel) Upon activation, the bubble diameter grows by a factor of 1,000 – 10,000, lysing nearby cells via mechanical strain.
Key References:
Kenneth B. Bader, Eli Vlaisavljevich, Adam D. Maxwell, “For whom the bubble grows: Histotripsy bubble dynamics,” Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology 45(5): 1056-1080, 2019. doi: 10.1060/j.ultrasmedbio.2018.10.035