James M. Drake, BSE, MBBCh, MSc, FRCSC, FACS

2018 Innovator Award Recipient

TITLE: Head of Neurosurgery, Hospital for Sick Children

GOAL: Using Focused Ultrasound to dissolve blood clots after an intraventricular hemorrhage.

Overview:

Dr. James M. Drake is the Head of Neurosurgery, Chief of Perioperative Services, and Surgeon-in-Chief in the Department of Surgery at the Hospital for Sick Children. His research will test the use of magnetic resonance-guided, transcranial Focused Ultrasound (FUS) to dissolve blood clots (thrombolysis) for removal. FUS is a noninvasive therapy that can be used to cause controlled thrombolysis. The goal is to develop a FUS therapy device and techniques to safely and effectively dissolve blood clots in the brain of infants with intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) of prematurity. The dissolved blood can then drain through an EVD or SGS, thereby limiting the negative effects of blood in the ventricles.