Breakthrough in Non-Invasive Treatment: SJTU's "Magnetic Knife" Successfully Conducts Preclinical Trials on Non-human Primate

May 13, 2024

In a significant advancement for non-invasive medical treatments, a team led by Academician Chen Yazhu and Researcher Shen Guofeng from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) School of Biomedical Engineering, in collaboration with Professor Chen Yao's team and the team of Professor Wang Han, Deputy Director of the First People's Hospital of Shanghai and Head of the Radiology Department, has achieved a breakthrough in the development of a domestic "Magnetic Knife" system. The system, also known as "Magnetic Resonance Guided Phased-Array Focused Ultrasound" (MRgFUS), has been successfully tested in preclinical experiments on primates, marking a crucial step towards clinical trials and domestication of the technology. The MRgFUS technology has emerged as a promising treatment for essential tremor and tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease, offering non-invasive, controllable, and highly penetrative treatment options. The recent success builds upon the existing MRgFUS technology, which has been imported into China, and aims to create a domestic alternative. The collaboration with Shunde Non-Invasive Era Medical Technology Co., Ltd. has resulted in the first successful preclinical trials on rhesus monkeys, which tested the safety, efficacy, and stability of the system. Notable medical professionals such as Director Zhang Yuqing from Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, Deputy Director Zhang Xiaohua from Xuanwu Hospital Jinan Branch, Director Tao Wei from Shenzhen University Affiliated South China Hospital, Dr. Wei Mingyi, Director Zhou Shouguo, Director Wang Juan, and Director Huang Yaoqu from Foshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine participated in the experiments.