The focused ultrasound technique, developed by Columbia engineers, was tested in combination with chemotherapy in three children with diffuse midline glioma, a rare and aggressive brain cancer that is universally fatal. The study is published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

The study found that focused ultrasound successfully opened the blood–brain barrier in all three patients, allowing the chemotherapy drug to reach the tumors and leading to some improvement in patient mobility. (All three patients eventually died from their disease or complications of COVID.)