An innovative tool for crossing the blood-brain barrier
SonoCloud® is an intracranial implant that opens the blood-brain barrier (BBB) before or after the injection of chemotherapy, or other therapeutic agents such as immunotherapy. Four minutes of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPU) opens the BBB for several hours, increasing the concentration of therapeutic molecules in the brain. SonoCloud® technology has been developed for a wide range of brain disorders. Oncology indications (glioblastoma, brain metastases) are the company’s main target, but research is also underway for other conditions including neurodegenerative diseases, in particular Alzheimer’s disease.
How does the SonoCloud-9 work?
The SonoCloud® device is implanted in a cranial flap, under the skin. It is therefore invisible. It is activated by a transdermal needle, which connects it to an external control unit. It can then emit ultrasound. A few minutes of ultrasound emission in the presence of microbubbles in the bloodstream opens up the BBB for several hours, providing an open door for drug delivery. By administering therapies when the BBB is open, the medication can reach the brain in higher concentrations and be potentially more effective. This procedure can be repeated for each cycle of drug therapy.
Using LIPU ultrasound in SonoCloud-9
SonoCloud technology is based on the use of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPU) (power levels similar to those used in diagnostic imaging applications) in combination with intravenous injection of a microbubble agent. The ultrasound causes the microbubbles circulating in the brain’s vessels to vibrate. This vibration creates a mechanical stress effect on the tight junctions of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), increasing active transport across the BBB and down-regulating efflux pumps, enabling therapeutic agents to flow through the BBB more freely.