Med tech developer Openwater is partnering with the Sharma Lab at North Carolina State University (NC State) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill) to study low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) as a noninvasive neuromodulation approach for neurological and spinal cord conditions.
Research teams will deploy Openwater's Open-LIFU device -- a portable system that delivers focused ultrasound to targeted neural circuits -- to investigate its feasibility as an alternative to deep brain stimulation and drug-based therapies for the following conditions:
- Transverse myelitis: Targeting spinal cord circuits to reduce spasticity, neuropathic pain, and mobility impairment in what the researchers say will be among the first-in-human applications of LIFU for the rare disorder.
- Essential tremor: Temporarily modulating tremor pathways in the brain and spinal cord without the tissue ablation required by existing focused ultrasound treatments.
Open-LIFU's open-source software allows researchers to customize the device for a range of applications, according to the company. The system is currently in use at institutions including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Hospital del Mar Research Institute in Barcelona, the company said.
Sharma Lab is led by Nitin Sharma, PhD, an associate professor in the Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill. The lab will explore applications including modulation of spasticity, neuropathic pain, bowel and bladder function, and walking impairment associated with transverse myelitis and modulation of essential tremor pathways.
![Examples of ultrasound findings and techniques. (A) Images in a 39-year-old male patient with a mass in the left thigh. The mass is heterogeneous on the B-mode US image (compared with the patient in D) and showed increased microvascularity (superb microvascular imaging [SMI]) and shear-wave elastography (SWE) values. Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy (with pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma in surgical specimen). (B) Images in an 18-year-old male patient with a mass in the left leg. The mass is hypoechoic on the B-mode image, with no other findings suggestive of malignancy. The lesion is in contact with the cortex of the tibia, which is slightly irregular. CT revealed a doubtful anteromedial tibial erosion. The microvascular study demonstrated high vascularization, suggestive of malignancy. Periosteal Ewing sarcoma was diagnosed with both histologic and immunohistochemical confirmation. (C) Images in a 69-year-old female patient with a lump growing on the outside of the left leg. Multiple SWE examinations were performed (please note the high values obtained in the measurements, whereas the color map highlights the stiffness relative to adjacent tissues). SMI showed areas of increased vascularization to target for sampling. Undifferentiated spindle cell sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with residual leiomyosarcoma in the surgical specimen after neoadjuvant therapy. (D) Images in a 56-year-old female patient with a mass in the right thigh. The mass is heterogeneous at both B-mode ultrasound (similar to patient A) and MRI (coronal T2-weighted spectral attenuated inversion recovery [SPAIR]; T1-weighted pre-contrast and postcontrast imaging), which even shows uptake after the administration of paramagnetic contrast material, which is traditionally suggestive of malignancy. Low values at SMI and elastography are suggestive of benignity. Spindle cell lipoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with atypical spindle cell lipomatous tumor in the surgical specimen.](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/08/images-radiol250278fig2.APCFLSvX6p.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
