This career proposal focuses on developing ultrasound histotripsy as a minimally invasive alternative to traditional cancer treatment. Histotripsy uses high intensity acoustic waves to "liquefy" soft tissue by the generation and violent collapse of cavitating microbubbles. Like surgery, the tissue would be "removed" by the action of the sound waves and bubbles, but unlike surgery the intervening and surrounding tissues will remain unaffected by the procedure.
Intellectual Merit: The proposed study will make substantial advances to the field of minimally invasive surgery by designing a new ultrasound therapy system and by determining the optimal ultrasound parameters for liquefying tissue using ultrasound histotripsy. In addition, by conducting preliminary animal experiments, the study will lay the ground work for ultimately extending the therapy to the clinic. These advances are made possible by the unique collaborative relationships between the College of Engineering and the College of Medicine at the University of North Dakota.
Broader Impacts: While establishing a surgical ultrasound lab, students of all ages will be encouraged to study engineering by inviting math and science teachers from small high schools, rural schools, and tribal high schools in Minnesota and North Dakota to actively participate in the research in the summer. The teachers will then sponsor student bioengineering projects at their schools which will be presented to middle school and grade school children maximizing the dissemination of the knowledge to the children in the North Dakota/Minnesota region while encouraging all of the students to consider engineering as a future career. In addition, a biomedical engineering focus program and curriculum will be developed with the hope of attracting more young women to study electrical engineering.
