Our December webinar was a "Rising Scientists in Therapeutic Ultrasound" special session which featured bioeffect themed topics. This series provides postdocs and early career scientists (Asst Prof.) a platform to share their work with our society.
Mohamed Ghanem from University of Washington presented: "Particle patterning via a travelling wavefield toward tissue engineering applications"
Mohamed Ghanem is a research scientist in the Center for Medical and Industrial Ultrasound at the Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington. His work centers on acoustic radiation force, its mechanisms, and its applications to noninvasive therapeutic ultrasound. His doctoral thesis focused on remotely manipulating solid objects, including proof-of-concept kidney stone repositioning in vivo. His research includes designing and building ultrasound multi-element array as an acoustic forceps system toward in vivo applications. Other research interests include cellular patterning for tissue engineering, noncontact material characterization, holographic techniques, and numerical simulation.
Sara Keller from University of Oxford/University of Oregon presented: "Ultrasound-enhanced bacteriophage delivery for treating complex biofilms"
Dr. Sara Keller is a Research Fellow within the Department of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford working with Profs. Constantin Coussios, Eleanor Stride, and Robin Cleveland where she is developing image-guided interventions for the treatment of biofilm-associated infections. Prior to coming to the UK, she received her Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Washington in 2021 under the supervision of Prof. Mike Averkiou and her B.E. in Biomedical Engineering from Vanderbilt University in 2016. Her work has been recognized with an Institute of Translational Health Sciences Fellowship at the University of Washington, a Glasstone Research Fellowship at the University of Oxford, and the 2024 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Rising Talent Award in the UK. In January 2026, Sara will join the University of Oregon as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering.
Adrien Rohfritsch from LabTau, France presented: "Generation of Cavitation in the Human Pancreas Using Focused Ultrasound Coupled with Contrast Agents: Proof of Concept on Perfused Anatomical Models"
Adrien received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in engineering sciences from Sorbonne Université (Paris, France). Between 2018 and 2021, he pursued his Ph.D. at the Jean Le Rond d’Alembert Institute (Sorbonne Université, CNRS), focusing on the propagation of waves in complex heterogeneous media. His research centered on developing high-performance computing tools to study the impact of the statistical properties of disorder on the propagation of coherent waves. Then, he joined the Laboratory of Therapeutic Applications of Ultrasound (INSERM) in 2022, where he contributes to several research topics related to high-intensity focused ultrasound, such as designing new therapeutic solutions for pancreatic cancer. He also develops innovative methods to assess the mechanical properties of soft tissues and tumors, monitor local thermal treatments, and assist in diagnosis. His work is dedicated to improving of the efficacy of focused ultrasound treatments. In 2023 he received the Yves Rocard price from the French Acoustical Society.
This session was moderated by Professor Yak-Nam Wang from the University of Washington.
Yak-Nam Wang received the Ph.D. degree in Bioengineering from Queen Mary and Westfield Collage, University of London, U.K. in 2000. She obtained her postdoctoral training in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Washington (UW), Seattle. She is currently a Principal Research Scientist at the Center for Industrial and Medical Ultrasound, Applied Physics Laboratory, UW, Seattle, where she performs preclinical ultrasound research.