The focus of the Biomedical Acoustics Development and Engineering Research Laboratory (BADER Lab) is the translation of therapeutic ultrasound for non- or minimally invasive treatment of cardiovascular and cancerous disease. Specifically, we utilize acoustic cavitation for combinatorial ablation and enhanced drug delivery treatment strategies of pathologies resistant to standard interventional techniques. To assess bubble activity and the resultant changes in tissue structure, we are developing multi-modal imaging approaches via diagnostic ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging. Analytic and numerical bubble dynamics models are also utilized to gain insight into the mechanism of action of our therapeutic approaches. Current research topics include:
• Chronic thrombus ablation with histotripsy and thrombolytic drugs
• Passive cavitation and MR imaging to assess histotripsy-induced liquefaction
• In vitro assessment of histotripsy-enhanced drug delivery
• Histotripsy-induced sonochemical reactions for the treatment of cancer
• Numeric and analytic models of bubble dynamics
• Magnetic Resonance-guided transurethral prostate ablation
For more information, visit our laboratory website: baderlab.uchicago.edu
University of Mississippi
Oxford, MS
Ph.D. - Physics
2011
Grand Valley State University
Allendale, MI
B.S. - Physics
2005
Recommended Maximum Exposure Times for Displayed Thermal Index (TI) Values.
Recommended Maximum Exposure Times for Displayed Thermal Index (TI) Values. Ultrasound Med Biol. 2026 Nov; 52(11):2305-2307.
PMID: 42624731
Preclinical Assessment of an Image-Guided Histotripsy System for Renal Ablation.
Preclinical Assessment of an Image-Guided Histotripsy System for Renal Ablation. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 2026 May 14; PP.
PMID: 42133509
Histotripsy-Initiated Immune Response Synergizes with Chemotherapy in a Neuroblastoma Murine Model.
Histotripsy-Initiated Immune Response Synergizes with Chemotherapy in a Neuroblastoma Murine Model. Cancers (Basel). 2026 Apr 15; 18(8).
PMID: 42073574
Passive cavitation imaging with pth root coherence factor and sparse arrays: In vitro and in vivo assessment for histotripsy monitoring.
Passive cavitation imaging with pth root coherence factor and sparse arrays: In vitro and in vivo assessment for histotripsy monitoring. Med Phys. 2026 Apr; 53(4):e70397.
PMID: 41925696
Bubble beginnings: The study that launched microbubble bioeffects.
Bubble beginnings: The study that launched microbubble bioeffects. J Acoust Soc Am. 2026 Apr 01; 159(4):R7-R8.
PMID: 41920211
Histotripsy-initiated immune response synergizes with chemotherapy in a neuroblastoma murine model.
Histotripsy-initiated immune response synergizes with chemotherapy in a neuroblastoma murine model. bioRxiv. 2026 Feb 03.
PMID: 41676730
Histotripsy-mediated reactive oxygen species generation in vitro.
Histotripsy-mediated reactive oxygen species generation in vitro. Ultrasonics. 2026 Mar; 159:107885.
PMID: 41240873
Changes in bubble-cloud dissolution throughout the application of histotripsy pulses.
Changes in bubble-cloud dissolution throughout the application of histotripsy pulses. Phys Rev Appl. 2025 Oct; 24(4).
PMID: 42368882
Enhancing Passive Cavitation Imaging Using pth Root Compression Delay, Sum, and Integrate Beamforming: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies.
Enhancing Passive Cavitation Imaging Using pth Root Compression Delay, Sum, and Integrate Beamforming: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 2025 07; 72(7):2283-2292.
PMID: 40031858
Chirp-Coded Subharmonic Imaging With Volterra Filtering: Histotripsy Bubble Cloud Assessment In Vitro and Ex Vivo.
Chirp-Coded Subharmonic Imaging With Volterra Filtering: Histotripsy Bubble Cloud Assessment In Vitro and Ex Vivo. IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control. 2025 05; 72(5):591-600.
PMID: 40178954