Avinoam Bar-Zion, PhD

Named Grant:

The Fernande and Marco Zevy Family Career Development Award

About the Investigator:

Prof. Avinoam Bar-Zion received his B.Sc. degree Summa Cum Laude in biomedical engineering from Technion. His PhD, which he also received from Technion, focused on imaging tumor angiogenesis using contrast-enhanced ultrasound. After completing his PhD, he embarked on a postdoctoral scholarship at Caltech. Avinoam’s postdoctoral research developed genetically encoded acoustic reporter genes and actuators, enabling non-invasive surgery with spatial and molecular specificity. Avinoam’s research focuses on the field of image-guided, non-invasive surgeries. These techniques use sound waves and heat to destroy malignant tissues or control engineered therapeutic cells deep within the body.

About the Research:

Ultrasound-enhanced blood-brain barrier opening (BBBO) offers a non-invasive, localized, and transient method for enabling drug delivery to brain tumors and the surrounding tissue. Focused ultrasound combined with systemically injected microbubbles facilitates the temporary disruption of the BBB, which is impenetrable to large-molecule drugs such as peptides, antibodies, cell therapy, and gene therapy. The main challenge of the current BBBO technique is enabling predictable and repeatable drug delivery in heterogeneous brain and tumor regions.

Current BBBO methodology controls the parameters of transmitted pulses based on the acoustic fingerprints emitted by the vibrating bubbles. The controller changes the transmitted power to fit a pre-defined and spatially uniform received echo level. Such an approach fails to address the unique mechanical properties of irregular tumor blood vessels and the tumor microenvironment. Moreover, recent results show that spectral cavitation signals don’t fully reflect the bubbles’ vibration state, with the potential for dangerous activity that could damage blood vessels. His project will use functional imaging as part of the BBBO control process rather than merely for planning and targeting. A recently introduced super-resolution ultrasound technique called ultrasound localization microscopy could enable such direct and dynamic observation of the vascular system before, during, and after BBBO procedures. Further, AI-based control will allow his team to integrate functional imaging and cavitation measurements as part of adaptive BBBO control, representing a paradigm shift in image-guided BBB opening procedures.