Pre-Conference Day

Enabling the direct comparison between focused ultrasound-mediated BBB opening and systemic brain shuttle approaches, examining the clinical viability, scalability, and commercial reality of each strategy.

This workshop will gather experts to:

• Evaluate clinical evidence and patient safety data for focused ultrasound BBB disruption versus systemic TfR1 shuttles to determine which approach delivers superior therapeutic outcomes with acceptable risk profiles
• Compare capital equipment requirements, procedure complexity, and reimbursement pathways for FUS against manufacturing scalability and cost-of-goods for antibody shuttles to assess commercial viability
• Explore combination strategies where FUS-enhanced delivery works synergistically with brain shuttles to achieve therapeutic concentrations in deep brain structures unreachable by either approach alone

Challenging the artificial separation between systemic and direct delivery, exploring how these complementary approaches can work in unison rather than competition to advance CNS therapeutics.

This workshop will gather experts to:

• Challenge the “invasiveness stigma” by comparing direct CNS delivery to widely accepted neurosurgical procedures like DBS electrode placement, examining why one is embraced while the other faces resistance
• Understand CSF circulation dynamics and anatomical constraints that determine when intrathecal delivery fails versus when intraventricular or cisternal approaches succeed, optimizing delivery route selection
• Design rational decision frameworks for selecting systemic versus direct delivery based on disease location, patient population, dosing frequency, and therapeutic window requirements