{
  "abstract": "Background. Focused ultrasound (FUS) has broad therapeutic potential, but its mechanisms of action are poorly understood. Preclinical FUS research enables rigorous interrogation of understudied parameters, but fragmented, single-purpose benchtop devices prevent standardized acoustic exposure across models. Objective. To describe a unified preclinical FUS platform for cell culture, ex vivo tissue, and awake stereotaxic in vivo delivery in one lightweight system, validated using glioblastoma as a disease model. Methods. We performed single-well FUS delivery to 96-well microplates, single-well delivery to freshly resected human glioblastoma tissue, and stereotaxic transcranial delivery to awake, head-fixed mice ambulating freely on a floating cage. Output was independently calibrated in free field, with measured microplate insertion loss. Pulsed low-intensity focused ultrasound (pLIFU) was applied to GL261-bearing mice, resected human glioblastoma, and macrophage cell lines. Results. Awake stereotaxic pLIFU produced acute tumor signal attenuation in GL261-bearing mice (mean log2 fold-change -1.66 versus +5.20 controls, p = 0.016) with bioluminescence evidence consistent with focal targeting. Ex vivo pLIFU produced directionally consistent immunophenotypic shifts in human glioblastoma (increased iNOS+, decreased Arg1+ populations). In vitro, pLIFU reduced CD80 on immunosuppressive macrophages to 73% of baseline in RAW 264.7 cells (p = 0.0008, n = 5) and 64% in THP-1 cells (p = 0.0006, n = 2), with MHC II upregulation in RAW 264.7 (ratio 1.65, p = 0.004) and ARG1 reduction in THP-1 (ratio 0.52, p = 0.0025). Conclusions. A unified preclinical FUS platform validated across in vitro, ex vivo, and awake in vivo applications enables stereotaxically guided transcranial FUS in awake, head-fixed mice ambulating in an exploratory manner during sonication, and single-well microplate treatments.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Medical University of South Carolina"
  ],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 14,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "M. S. Bell"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. J. Williams"
    },
    {
      "name": "C. M. Walton"
    },
    {
      "name": "B. W. Hughes"
    },
    {
      "name": "T. S. Roddey"
    },
    {
      "name": "B. B. Oldham"
    },
    {
      "name": "C. E. Bruno"
    },
    {
      "name": "K. D. Peterson"
    },
    {
      "name": "B. J. Kendrick"
    },
    {
      "name": "B. P. Caiello"
    },
    {
      "name": "B. A. Miller"
    },
    {
      "name": "N. C. Rowland"
    },
    {
      "name": "O. Sahin"
    },
    {
      "name": "B. A. Strickland"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bgb45hbdqgxmw.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.10.23.760846",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.23.760846v1.full",
  "id": "bgb45hbdqgxmw",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.23.760846v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "neuroscience"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.23.760846v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-23",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bgb45hbdqgxmw.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:30:31Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.10.23.760846",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.23.760846v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "biorxiv:neuroscience",
      "subfield": "neuroscience"
    }
  ],
  "title": "A preclinical platform for focused ultrasound delivery from microplate to awake brain",
  "title_text": "A preclinical platform for focused ultrasound delivery from microplate to awake brain",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-31T00:20:54Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bgb45hbdqgxmw",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}