Charlottesville, VA, October 10, 2025—The Focused Ultrasound Foundation has designated Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust as a Focused Ultrasound Centre of Excellence. Imperial becomes the 16th centre worldwide, joining a global network of leading institutions advancing the development and adoption of focused ultrasound technology.
The designation recognises Imperial’s pioneering role in applying focused ultrasound in both neurology and obstetrics. The institution brings together multidisciplinary expertise in neuroscience, fetal medicine, imaging, engineering, and clinical research, positioning it as a leader in advancing noninvasive therapies for some of the most challenging diseases and conditions.
Researchers at Imperial College London and the Trust have achieved several world-firsts in the field. Prof. Wladyslaw Gedroyc, co-director of the Centre of Excellence, performed the world’s first bilateral focused ultrasound treatment for essential tremor. Imperial is the UK’s lead centre for MR-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy, having treated more than 185 patients and helping secure national NHS commissioning.
Professor of Obstetrics Christoph Lees, MD, FRCOG, led the world’s first Phase 1 clinical trial of high-intensity focused ultrasound in obstetrics. He is using the technology to treat Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome, or TTTS, a rare and deadly pregnancy complication in which identical twins sharing one placenta have an unequal blood supply. The study demonstrated that placental blood vessels could be safely and effectively sealed noninvasively and in utero using focused ultrasound, balancing the blood supply between the two fetuses. Further studies are needed to determine whether this promising technique could constitute a transformative, life-saving new approach in fetal medicine without concerns from invasive surgery or damage to nearby tissue.
Christopher Butler, MA, PhD, FRCP, associate professor in Chronic and Complex Diseases, and his team have led the first European study using focused ultrasound for human brain stimulation, demonstrating its ability to modulate higher-order behavior. Ongoing work includes stimulation of basal ganglia in patients with Parkinson’s disease who have implanted devices, optimisation of multi-site motor stimulation, and exploration of novel brain networks for targeted therapies in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and psychiatric disorders.
“Our teams at Imperial College London and the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust are honoured to be designated a Focused Ultrasound Foundation Centre of Excellence,” said James Choi, co-director of the Centre of Excellence, “Profs. Wladyslaw Gedroyc, Hashim Ahmed, Christoph Lees, and Christopher Butler have been driving the use of focused ultrasound in the clinic for decades now. The Centre will also help accelerate the preclinical work that Sophie Morse, PhD, and I have been developing to enter clinical trials. This is just the beginning, and we are excited for the future of focused ultrasound and how it can transform the lives of patients and their families.”
The new Centre of Excellence will serve as a hub for collaboration between Imperial College, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, leading institutions such as the University of Cambridge and Cardiff University, and partners at other Focused Ultrasound Centres of Excellence, including the University of Oxford and the Institute of Cancer Research. Future studies will expand applications in neuromodulation, blood-brain barrier opening, and noninvasive fetal therapies while also training the next generation of physicians and scientists.
“With its multidisciplinary expertise and history of firsts, Imperial College London has established itself as a leader in focused ultrasound research in the UK and beyond,” said Neal F. Kassell, MD, founder and chairman of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation. “This designation recognises Imperial’s significant achievements in the field, bringing us closer to making focused ultrasound a standard of care for patients in the UK and globally.”
The Focused Ultrasound Foundation’s Centres of Excellence Programme was established in 2009 to recognise and support institutions that are leading the field in research, development, and clinical adoption of focused ultrasound.
About Focused Ultrasound
Focused ultrasound uses ultrasound energy guided by real-time imaging to treat tissue deep in the body without incisions or radiation. It is FDA-approved in the United States to treat essential tremor, Parkinson’s disease, liver tumours, uterine fibroids, pain from bone metastases, osteoid osteoma, and the prostate. There are currently 34 indications in various stages of development in the UK and more than 180 around the globe, including Alzheimer’s disease and tumours of the brain, liver, breast, and pancreas.
About the Focused Ultrasound Foundation
Based in Charlottesville, VA, the Focused Ultrasound Foundation, along with its UK counterpart, was created to improve the lives of millions of people worldwide by accelerating the development of focused ultrasound, a rapidly evolving, noninvasive technology. The Foundation works to clear the path to global adoption in the shortest time possible by organising and funding research, fostering collaboration, and building awareness among patients and professionals. Since its establishment in 2006, the Foundation has become the largest nongovernmental funding source for focused ultrasound research.
About Imperial College London
Imperial College London is one of the world’s leading universities, consistently ranked among the top global institutions for science, engineering, medicine, and business. With a mission to achieve enduring excellence in research and education in science, engineering, medicine, and business for the benefit of society, Imperial is at the forefront of pioneering discoveries and their translation into real-world solutions.