‘Tumor Destroyer' shows promising results at Corewell Health
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Corewell Health has recently acquired a new tool to help treat patients with certain liver cancers, and the first treatments appear to be a success.
The tool was developed by , a company that spawned out of the done at the University of Michigan. It has been billed as a but Corewell Health radiologist James Morrison says the key to the tool is its precision.
'(It's) completely non-invasive, and unlike other non-invasive technologies, it doesn't damage any of the surrounding tissue. So, we can be very focused on the cancer itself and preserve as much of the normal tissue as much as possible,' Morrison told News 8.
The tool uses focused ultrasound pulses to destroy its target. The ultrasound causes bubbles to grow in the tiny gas pockets within the target tissue, causing it to expand and eventually collapse under stress, destroying the cells.
Tumor Destroyer? FDA approves tool that uses ultrasound to fight cancer
'But you could stick your hand through the beam and, as long as you're not at that one point in space, it's not going to damage any of the normal tissue,' he explained.
The by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2023 and, for now, can only be used to treat cancers in the liver, but experts are confident the tool will work in other parts of the body and that approval will expand.
'Next will be the kidney and then beyond that, things like pancreatic cancer and other places in the body,' Morrison said.
Corewell Health doctors have already treated multiple patients with the HistoSonics tool and, so far, the treatments appear to be a success.
Latest trial of University of Michigan's 'tumor destroyer' exceeds goals
'Our first few patients, we (wanted to be) extra precautious and keep them in for observation. But in the future, they will go home the same day. It's well tolerated,' he said. 'Everything went smoothly. Even more smoothly than expected. … The tumor was completely ablated.'
Corewell Health is one of roughly 30 hospitals in the country to offer the new treatment.
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CBS News
16 minutes ago
- CBS News
Fungus in "agroterrorism" arrest already widely prevalent in U.S., researcher says
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Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
Suspected Chinese bioterrorists smuggled dangerous agent into US in boots, officials say
One of the two Chinese nationals arrested for allegedly smuggling a toxic crop-killing pathogen, which also has devastating health effects on humans, stuffed the noxious fungus into her boots while entering the United States in 2022, documents show. According to an arrest affidavit for University of Michigan post-doctoral research fellow Yunqing Jian and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, Jian first brought Fusarium graminearum, described as a "potential agroterrorism weapon" in scientific literature, in August 2022. A transcribed WeChat conversation between Jian and Liu shows Liu instructing Jian on how to smuggle the fungus, according to the affidavit. Liu: "Teacher Liang's seeds must be placed well." Jian: "Where to put it? I only have one pair of shoes. The insole cannot be pulled off." Liu: "Did you bring just one pair of shoes?" Jian: "3 pair, wear one pair." Liu: "Where did the seeds get put? In the tube?" Jian: "I put them in my Martin boots… in a small bag. The ziplock bag. 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"This case is a sobering reminder that the Chinese Communist Party continues to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate our institutions and target our food supply, an act that could cripple our economy and endanger American lives," FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News Digital in a statement. "Smuggling a known agroterrorism agent into the U.S. is not just a violation of law, it's a direct threat to national security. I commend the FBI Detroit Division and our partners at CBP for stopping this biological threat before it could do real damage." The University of Michigan released a statement regarding the incident on Wednesday. "As one of the world's leading public research institutions, the University of Michigan is dedicated to advancing knowledge, solving challenging problems and improving nearly every facet of the human experience. Our research enterprise across all three campuses is united in this commitment to serving the people of Michigan and the world," the school said. "We strongly condemn any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine the university's critical public mission. It is important to note that the university has received no funding from the Chinese government in relation to research conducted by the accused individuals. We have and will continue to cooperate with federal law enforcement in its ongoing investigation and prosecution." READ THE FULL AFFIDAVIT
2 hours ago
What is Fusarium graminearum, the fungus US authorities say was smuggled in from China?
NEW YORK -- Federal prosecutors charged two Chinese researchers on Tuesday with smuggling a crop-killing fungus into the U.S. last summer — charges that come amid heightened political tensions between the two countries and as the Trump administration moves to revoke visas from visiting Chinese students. Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu are charged with conspiracy, smuggling, making false statements and visa fraud for allegedly bringing the fungus Fusarium graminearum into the U.S. Jian, 33, was booked in a Detroit federal court. Liu, 34, is thought to be in China. According to the FBI, Liu had small baggies of the fungus stashed in his backpack when he flew to the U.S. last year and, after claiming ignorance about the plant material inside them, said he was planning to use it for research at a University of Michigan lab where Jian worked and where Liu previously worked. Fusarium graminearum causes a disease called Fusarium head blight that can wipe out cereal crops such as wheat, barley and maize and rice — it inflicts $1 billion in losses annually on U.S. wheat and barley crops, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It isn't the only fungus to cause Fusarium head blight, but it's the most common culprit in the U.S. The fungus infects plants early in the growing season, shriveling wheat grains and blanching crop heads a whitish-tan color. It also causes a toxin to accumulate in wheat kernels that can make them unsafe for people and livestock to eat. Nicknamed 'vomitoxin' because it's most known for causing livestock to throw up, it can also cause diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache and fever in animals and people. Wheat and other grain crops are screened for various toxins, including Fusarium graminearum, before they can be used to feed animals and humans. Farmers have to throw out any infected grains, which can cause devastating losses. 'It's one of the many problems that farmers have to deal with that risks their livelihood,' said David Geiser, a Fusarium expert at Penn State. Although Jian and Liu are accused of smuggling Fusarium graminearum into the country, the fungus is already prevalent in the U.S. — particularly in the east and Upper Midwest — and scientists have been studying it for decades. Researchers often bring foreign plants, animals and even strains of fungi to the U.S. to study them, but they must file certain permits before moving anything across state or national borders. Studying the genes of a foreign fungus strain, for example, can help scientists learn how it tolerates heat, resists pesticides or mutates. 'We look at variations among individuals just like we do humans,' said Nicole Gauthier, a plant pathologist at the University of Kentucky who studies Fusarium. That said, it's unclear why the Chinese researchers might have wanted to bring that strain of Fusarium graminearum into the U.S. and why they didn't fill out the proper paperwork to do so. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
