News Health & Medicine

Ultrasound allows a chemotherapy drug to enter the human brain

An early-stage clinical trial shows promise for people with a treatment-resistant brain cancer

A CT scan image showing a human brain in yellow with a big patch of green in the middle of the brain.

Glioblastoma (green in this CT scan) is a type of brain cancer that is difficult to treat. A study shows how pairing ultrasound with microbubbles temporarily opens the brain’s protective barrier, allowing a chemotherapy drug to enter the organ.

DR P. MARAZZI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images

By McKenzie Prillaman

Cracking the code to brain cancer treatment might start with cracking the brain’s protective shield.