The University of Michigan opened the Histotripsy Center on September 10, 2026, to advance noninvasive cancer treatment using histotripsy, a focused ultrasound technique that destroys tumor tissue without incisions, heat, or radiation.

Since FDA authorization for liver tumors in 2023, HistoSonics has installed more than 130 treatment systems worldwide and treated over 5,000 patients, with additional approvals for other indications anticipated soon.

Histotripsy works by generating bubble clouds within cancer cells with precise sound waves, causing disruption of cell structure and expulsion of liquid from the body.

Leadership aims include transforming patient experiences and broad accessibility, with plans to support up to 100 concurrent projects, publish over 100 joint papers, and file around 50 patents annually over the next five years.

The new center sits in the Carl A. Gerstacker Building on U-M's North Campus and seeks to become a global research hub and training pipeline, fostering collaboration between the medical school and biomedical engineering.

Dr. Zhen Xu, founder and head of the center, intends to mobilize researchers nationwide to accelerate translation of histotripsy into clinical use.

Phase two will emphasize clinician training for new indications and progress human trials, expanding the center’s impact beyond the university.

HistoSonics CEO Mike Blue views the center as a pivotal step to broaden the technology’s impact and speed its adoption across diseases, with Xu and U-M holding financial interests in HistoSonics.

The initiative is non-commercial and focuses on advancing research and translation; additional information and contact details for WEMU are provided for funding and engagement.

The center offers on-site testing in Ann Arbor and a travel system to bring equipment and expertise to other U.S. locations at no charge to collaborators.

External researchers will have no-cost access to equipment and expert collaboration to expand testing and development.

The center aims to facilitate collaboration by offering on-site testing and a travel program that could reach thousands of researchers and potentially hundreds of thousands of patients over five years.