News

Trust and university unveiled as Focused Ultrasound Centre of Excellence 21 Oct 2025

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial College London have been designated as a Focused Ultrasound Centre of Excellence. This is a prestigious network of just 16 centres worldwide who have been recognised by the Focused Ultrasound Foundation for advancing the development and adoption of focused ultrasound technology in research, training, and patient care.

The Trust and university have been recognised specifically for pioneering the application of focused ultrasound in both neurology and obstetrics. The Foundation said that the institutions bring together ‘multidisciplinary expertise in neuroscience, fetal medicine, imaging, engineering, and clinical research, positioning it as a leader in advancing non-invasive therapies for some of the most challenging diseases and conditions.”

This includes world-leading research and firsts, such as:

• Professor Wladyslaw Gedroyc, consultant radiologist and co-director of the Centre of Excellence, and wider colleagues from neurology and neurosurgery being the first in the UK to trial MR-guided Focused Ultrasound as a treatment for symptoms arising from the brain (essential tremor). Professor Gedroyc also performed the world’s first bilateral focused ultrasound treatment for essential tremor.
• Professor Christoph Lees, head of fetal medicine and honorary consultant in obstetrics, leading the world’s first phase one clinical trial of high intensity focused ultrasound as a non-invasive treatment for twin-twin transfusion syndrome.
• Professor Hashim Ahmed, chair of urology and consultant urological surgeon, pioneering minimally invasive prostate treatment therapies, including high-intensity focused ultrasound. He is currently leading the £42m TRANSFORM trial to find the best way to screen for prostate cancer by gathering evidence on screening method.
• Dr Christopher Butler, associate professor in chronic and complex diseases, leading the first European study using focused ultrasound for human brain stimulation.

Professor Bob Klaber, director of strategy, research and Innovation at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and professor of practice at Imperial College London, said: “This is fantastic news and testament to the world-leading expertise at Imperial College Healthcare and Imperial College London.

"Huge congratulations to all our teams involved in this transformative research, which I know is already benefiting our patients and will make a huge difference to countless others over the coming years.”

Dr James Choi, associate professor in non-invasive surgery and sensing at Imperial College London and co-director of the Centre of Excellence, said: “Our teams at Imperial College London and the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust are honoured to be designated a Focused Ultrasound Foundation Centre of Excellence.

“Profs. Wladyslaw Gedroyc, Hashim Ahmed, Christoph Lees, and Christopher Butler have been driving the use of focused ultrasound in the clinic for decades now. The Centre will also help accelerate the preclinical work that Sophie Morse, PhD, and I have been developing to enter clinical trials. This is just the beginning, and we are excited for the future of focused ultrasound and how it can transform the lives of patients and their families.”

Dr Neal F. Kassell, founder and chairman of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation, said: “With their multidisciplinary expertise and history of firsts, Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust have established themselves as leaders in focused ultrasound research in the UK and beyond.

“This designation recognises Imperial and the Trust’s significant achievements in the field, bringing us closer to making focused ultrasound a standard of care for patients in the UK and globally.”

Find out more about the Centres of Excellence.