We are grateful to the Focused Ultrasound Foundation for this designation and the ongoing support of our research efforts. It is a testament to the devotion and perseverance of multiple research groups in both institutions. Together, we are on a mission to expand both preclinical and clinical applications of focused ultrasound, and accelerate its widespread adoption in the UK.”
Dr Antonios Pouliopoulos, Senior Lecturer in Therapeutic Ultrasound, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences
15 January 2026
King's and UCL jointly appointed Focused Ultrasound Centre of Excellence
King's and University College London (UCL) have been jointly appointed as a Focused Ultrasound Centre of Excellence in recognition of their leadership in advancing focused ultrasound for the benefit of patients.
The Focused Ultrasound Foundation's Centre of Excellence programme recognises and supports institutions that are leading the field in the research, development, and clinical adoption of focused ultrasound. As a Centre of Excellence, UCL and King's will work together to accelerate translational research, improve patient outcomes, and serve as a global hub for education, collaboration and innovation. They will also join a global network of institutions advancing the development and adoption of focused ultrasound technology.
Much of the preclinical focused ultrasound research at King's has been led by the laboratories of Professor Maya Thanou, and Senior Lecturer Dr Antonios Pouliopoulos.
Professor Thanou has pioneered novel activatable drug-carrier formulations, such as ActNano, for MRI-guided focused ultrasound treatment of brain tumours. Her group is researching focused ultrasound-enhanced therapies for both brain and triple-negative breast cancer, as well as the use of nanodroplets as cavitation agents.
Dr Pouliopoulos is a leading expert in therapeutic ultrasound for the brain, with more than 13 years' experience advancing ultrasound-mediated Blood Brain Barrier opening for targeted drug delivery. His work has advanced preclinical studies and clinical trials for paediatric diffuse midline glioma.
Together, these laboratories are developing activatable nanoparticles and drug carriers for targeted treatment of paediatric and adult brain tumours. This research has attracted more than £4 million in funding, and the first focused ultrasound clinical trials using novel drug-device combinations for these indications will soon be launched.
Adding to King's' expertise is Professor Mark Edwards, MBBS, PhD, BSc(Hons), who has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications and the Oxford Specialist Handbook of Parkinson’s Disease and Other Movement Disorders. He recently received a grant from the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research to initiate clinical trials of targeted neuromodulation using the BrainBox NeuroFUS system.
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 tumors, uterine fibroids, pain from bone metastases, osteoid osteoma, lower back pain 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 tumors of the brain, liver, breast, and pancreas. In the UK, focused ultrasound is available through the NHS for the treatment of essential tremor, uterine fibroids and prostate cancer at expert centres, and privately for tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease.
In this story
Senior Lecturer in Therapeutic Ultrasound
Professor of Neurology and Interface Disorders