On Dec. 17, 2024, scientists at The University of Queensland (UQ) announced they had licensed a promising ultrasound therapy to potentially restore brain function in people with Alzheimer’s disease to Ceretas, a startup company spun out of The University.

The therapeutic ultrasound technology developed by Professor Jürgen Götz from UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute will be progressed toward clinical use by Ceretas, with the company aiming to validate the system to treat Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. The technology uses targeted pressure waves from sound to activate the brain’s ability to increase neuronal signalling and clear pathological proteins that accumulate in people with Alzheimer’s disease.

The first human clinical safety trial of the novel ultrasound medical device was successfully completed in 2024, led by QBI clinician-researcher Professor Peter Nestor. The trial results were expected to be published in early 2025.

The global incidence of dementia is predicted to reach 82 million by 2030 with an estimated 80 per cent of people with dementia having Alzheimer’s, characterised by cognitive impairment and memory loss.