Originally posted on Newswise
Charlottesville, VA, and Chicago, IL — April 28, 2026 — The Focused Ultrasound Foundation and CURE Epilepsy have announced the co-funding of an innovative CURE Epilepsy Catalyst Award research grant that may pave the way for better control of debilitating seizures in children.
The project aims to develop a noninvasive treatment for a severe form of childhood epilepsy known as Lennox–Gastaut syndrome (LGS). The disease is typically marked by early-onset, drug-resistant seizures, and those living with LGS often experience significant cognitive and developmental impairment.
This preclinical research will test whether low-intensity focused ultrasound can transiently modulate activity in brain regions involved in seizure generation or propagation.
Focused ultrasound is a noninvasive technology that uses externally applied ultrasound waves focused through the skull or body to a precise target to produce therapeutic effects without incisions or radiation. In some applications, real-time imaging guidance is used to help plan, monitor, and optimize treatment parameters. Focused ultrasound has more than 35 global regulatory approvals and is in various stages of research and development for more than 180 diseases.
“LGS is a particularly devastating form of childhood-onset epilepsy, often affecting quality of life and neurodevelopment,” said Ivan Soltesz, PhD, professor of neurosurgery and neurosciences at Stanford University School of Medicine, who is leading the research. “It’s our hope that this collaboration will help chart the course for an effective, noninvasive treatment using low-intensity focused ultrasound.”
Using mouse models of LGS, Soltesz and his team aim to identify the safest and most effective ultrasound parameters and explore whether the approach could modulate seizures in real time. If successful, the work could lead to clinical trials in humans and pave the way for a safer, surgery-free alternative to current brain stimulation treatments.
This collaboration between the Focused Ultrasound Foundation and CURE Epilepsy underscores a shared commitment to accelerating innovative treatment options and builds on a 2025 workshop co-hosted by the two organizations. The event, which was sponsored by focused ultrasound companies Insightec, NaviFUS, and SPIRE Therapeutics, convened more than 50 participants to assess the current state of the science in epilepsy and identify critical unmet needs, resulting in a detailed white paper.
One in 26 people in the United States will be diagnosed with epilepsy in their lifetime, and 50 million people worldwide live with the disorder. It affects more people than multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson’s disease, and ALS combined. Yet, despite its prevalence, epilepsy receives less federal funding per person compared to these other brain disorders, which leads to critical gaps in research.
“Current medications fail to control seizures in nearly one-third of people with epilepsy, and for many who do respond, side effects impair quality of life,” said Dr. Laura Lubbers, Chief Scientific Officer of CURE Epilepsy. “Innovative, noninvasive treatments that can both control seizures and reduce side effects are urgently needed—making focused ultrasound an especially exciting and promising approach to treat epilepsy.”
Epilepsy remains an area of great potential for focused ultrasound, with multiple clinical trials underway exploring its therapeutic applications.
“For patients with severe epilepsy that is not responsive to medications, today’s options are often limited and invasive, and focused ultrasound has the potential to change that by offering a noninvasive way to precisely target the circuits that drive seizures,” said Neal F. Kassell, MD, founder and chairman of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation. “This collaboration is an important step toward making that possibility a reality.”
About the Focused Ultrasound Foundation
Based in Charlottesville, VA, the Focused Ultrasound Foundation 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 by organizing 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. Learn more at FUSfoundation.org.
About CURE Epilepsy
CURE Epilepsy is a parent-founded, research-focused nonprofit committed to finding a cure for epilepsy. Epilepsy is a complex, often debilitating neurological disorder that affects 1 in 26 Americans. Since 1998, the organization has invested in cutting-edge research to fill critical funding gaps and advance understanding of epilepsy’s underlying mechanisms. CURE Epilepsy has raised more than $100 million and funded over 300 research projects—more than any other nongovernmental organization in the United States. These efforts have contributed to breakthroughs in genetic diagnosis, potential treatments for infantile spasms, and improved understanding of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Learn more at CUREepilepsy.org.
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