Harquail Clinical Trials & Clinical Care 

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Dr. Nir Lipsman, Dr. Michael Schwartz, Yuexi Huang and patient during focused ultrasound essential tremor procedure.

Clinical Care

Movement Disorders 

Severe hand tremors, essential tremors, multiple sclerosis 

The movement disorders platform sees patients with disabling movement disorders including essential tremor and tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease offering non-invasive treatments using MRI guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) ablative treatments.  

Essential tremors (ET, or benign tremor, familial tremor) is a neurological movement disorder characterized by an unwanted and uncontrolled tremor or shaking of the hands, arms and head (when active or standing still).   

Tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease (TD-PD) patients, initially present with tremor with relatively mild bradykinesia and rigidity. Progression is slow over many years with tremor remaining as the most prominent clinical symptom.  

Psychiatry 

Obsessive compulsive disorder, alcohol use disorder, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, RTMS, TMS 

The psychiatry platform sees participants with mental illness characterized by clinically significant disturbances in cognition, behaviors and emotional regulation. They investigate the epidemiological, biological, and therapeutic aspects of psychiatric diseases.  

HCN clinicians and scientists strive to provide patients with optimal clinical psychiatric care, incorporating evidence-based clinical practices while offering innovative treatment interventions to improve mental health outcomes. Our goal is to enhance our understanding of the causes and best treatments for these conditions and improve patient quality of life. 

Clinical Trials 

Research at the Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation 

Our team of experts in the Harquail Centre are involved in clinical research throughout all levels of care and make discoveries that can directly benefit patients. Participation in clinical trials is valuable for developing diagnostics and specific treatments that can help us understand and prevent disease. 

As a teaching and research hospital, our leading team of internationally-recognized scientists and investigators are committed to conducting research for novel neuromodulatory therapeutics across five main platforms. 

DISORDER TREATED:

ALS, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, memory, and cognition 

ELIGIBILITY:

Eligible patients include those with neurodegenerative disorders including conditions resulting from progressive damage to cells and nervous system connections critical for mobility, coordination, strength, sensation, and cognition.  

RESEARCH FOCUS:

Advanced neuro-navigation and treatment systems that are less invasive and accurately target brain areas enhancing therapeutic delivery and improving outcomes compared to conventional approaches.  

TREATMENT OPTIONS:

Patients are considered for trials in MRI guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS), Blood-brain barrier opening (BBB opening) and drug delivery including other modalities such as rTMS. 

OPEN TRIALS 

  • A phase I/II study for bilateral putamen delivery of recombinant glucocerebrosidase in patients with Parkinson’s disease using MR-guided focused ultrasound induced opening of the blood-brain barrier
  • Investigation of the safety of low-intensity focused ultrasound in opening the blood-brain barrier and delivery of therapeutic in Parkinson’s disease 
  • A Phase 2a, Open-label, Single-Arm Clinical Trial of Oral Drug Therapy Coupled with Primary Motor Cortex Blood-Brain Barrier Opening using Transcranial MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) 
  • ExAblate Blood-Brain Barrier Opening for Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease 

DISORDERS TREATED:

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), alcohol use disorder, major depressive disorder (MDD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

ELIGIBILITY:

Eligible patients include those with mental illness characterized by clinically significant disturbances in cognition, behaviors and emotional regulation. The psychiatry team investigates the epidemiological, biological, and therapeutic aspects of psychiatric diseases.

RESEARCH FOCUS:

Harquail clinicians and scientists strive to provide patients with optimal clinical psychiatric care, incorporating evidence-based clinical practices while offering innovative treatment interventions to improve mental health outcomes. The goal is to enhance our understanding of the causes and best treatments for these conditions and improve patient quality of life.

TREATMENT OPTIONS:

Patients with OCD and MDD are eligible for MRgFUS HIFU and DBS
Patients with MDD, AUD and PTSD are eligible for DBS

OPEN TRIALS

  • MR-guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) Bilateral Capsulotomy for the Treatment of Refractory Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  • MR-guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) Bilateral Capsulotomy for the Treatment of Refractory Major Depression
  • Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) for the Treatment of Refractory Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Pilot Trial
  • Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) for the Treatment of Refractory Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD): Pilot Trial
  • Assessment of Safety and Feasibility of Exablate Neuro system to perform Echo-Focusing Echo Imaging in Patients with Treatment-Resistant Neurologic and Psychiatric Indications

DISORDERS TREATED:

Severe hand tremors/Essential tremors, multiple sclerosis

ELIGIBILITY:

The movement disorders platform sees patients with disabling movement disorders including essential tremor and tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease.

RESEARCH FOCUS:

Essential tremors (ET, or benign tremor, familial tremor) is a neurological movement disorder characterized by an unwanted and uncontrolled tremor or shaking of the hands, arms and head (when active or standing still).

Tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease (TD-PD) patients, initially present with tremor with relatively mild bradykinesia and rigidity. Progression is slow over many years with tremor remaining as the most prominent clinical symptom.

TREATMENT OPTIONS:

Non-invasive procedure using MRI guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) ablative treatments.

OPEN TRIALS

  • Assessment of Safety and Feasibility of Exablate Neuro system to perform Echo-Focusing Echo Imaging in Patients with Treatment-Resistant Neurologic and Psychiatric Indications

DISORDERS TREATED:

Glioblastoma, recurrent glioblastoma, metastatic brain tumors, diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas

RESEARCH FOCUS:

OPEN TRIALS

  • Assessment of the Safety and Feasibility of ExAblate Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption for the Treatment of High Grade Glioma in Patients Undergoing Standard Chemotherapy
  • Exablate Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption (BBBD) with Microbubbles for the Treatment of Recurrent Glioblastoma (rGBM) in Subjects Undergoing Carboplatin Monotherapy
  • Brain Barrier Disruption Using Transcranial MRI-Guided Focused Ultrasound with Intravenous Ultrasound Contrast Agents and Chemotherapy in the Patient with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Gliomas

DISORDERS TREATED:

Post-concussive syndrome, cognitive deficits after traumatic brain injury

OPEN TRIALS

  • Image-guided, accelerated, theta-burst stimulation for the treatment of post- concussion syndrome
  • Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) for the Treatment of Cognitive Deficits after Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Pilot Trial