Soundwaves vs. Cancer: Michigan's New $10M Center Could Change Treatment Forever
Imagine treating cancer without radiation, without chemotherapy, and without ever making an incision. That future is getting closer in Ann Arbor, where Michigan Medicine has just launched a dedicated research center for histotripsy, a non-invasive technique that uses soundwaves to destroy tumors.
The new Histotripsy Center, backed by $10 million in funding, aims to accelerate a technology that is already FDA-approved for liver tumors. According to University of Michigan professor Zhen Xu, who co-invented the method, roughly 5,000 patients have already been treated with it.
What is histotripsy and how does it work?
Histotripsy was developed at U-M's College of Engineering in 2002. Unlike surgery or radiation, it works by directing precise patterns of soundwaves at cancerous tissue. These waves create tiny gas bubbles inside the tumor, and the repeated expansion and collapse of those bubbles breaks apart the cancer cell structure.
What remains is a liquid that the body naturally flushes out. That means no incisions, no recovery from surgery, and none of the harsh side effects that come with traditional treatments.
Why does this new center matter?
Until now, histotripsy research has been limited to a small group of specialists. The equipment needed to study it is highly specialized, not commercially available, and requires deep technical expertise. That has been a major barrier to wider adoption.
Xu says the new center changes that equation. It will house the best research devices available and bring together leading experts in the field. The goal is to expand from a single lab to a national hub that supports thousands of researchers.
In the next five years, Xu projects the center could run up to 100 projects at once, publish over 100 joint papers annually, and file 50 patents a year. She also expects three to five new FDA approvals for different diseases, potentially enabling treatment for hundreds of thousands of patients.
What cancers can histotripsy treat?
The technique is versatile, but it has limits. Xu notes that it is not suitable for certain stomach areas or lung cancer, since lungs are constantly filled with air pockets, making the bubble-based approach counterproductive.
Still, for many other cancers, histotripsy opens up possibilities that were previously closed off. Tumors in hard-to-reach areas that were once considered untreatable may now be viable targets.
Is histotripsy a replacement for current treatments?
Not exactly. Xu is clear that histotripsy is not designed to replace surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. Instead, she frames it as one more option in the toolkit, giving doctors and patients more choices when facing a cancer diagnosis.
Who is funding the Histotripsy Center?
The $10 million comes from multiple sources, including HistoSonics, Michigan Engineering, and private donors, according to U-M spokesperson Jim Lynch. The funds will support three priorities: further research, clinical trials, and graduate programs that will train up to 12 doctoral students per year in the technology.
U-M President Domenico Grasso drew a direct line from this work to the university's legacy of lifesaving discoveries. He said that decades from now, histotripsy could be spoken of alongside U-M's contributions to the polio and influenza vaccines.
What does this mean for the future of cancer care?
It is still early days, and officials are careful not to overpromise. But the investment signals growing confidence in a technology that could make cancer treatment less traumatic and more accessible. For patients facing difficult diagnoses, the idea of a treatment that spares them the worst side effects is not just a scientific breakthrough, it is a matter of quality of life.
As the center ramps up, the hope is that what starts in Ann Arbor will spread across the country, giving more people access to a gentler way to fight cancer.