Chris Diederich

Research Interests

Design & development of ultrasound devices for hyperthermia cancer therapy, thermal ablation procedures, and drug delivery and activation; Integration of therapy delivery to MR & ultrasound image guidance and monitoring.

Research Summary

The application of hyperthermia or moderate thermal therapy (42-45 C) to tissue may be used to significantly enhance radiation therapy, chemotherapy, gene therapy, and immunotherapy. High temperature (50-80+ C) thermal therapy is currently used to outright destroy or permanently change the physical properties of tissue. Examples include tightening of ligaments and joint capsules for repair of sport injuries, coagulating (denaturation of structural proteins) cancerous or benign prostate tissue, breast tumors, and other sites such as brain and liver. The Thermal Therapy Research Group at UCSF is concentrating efforts on developing and employing highly controllable ultrasound heating technology to these various clinical problems, with a significant component being devoted to the treatment of cancer. This includes the development of implantable and catheter-based ultrasound devices as well as techniques for using MRI and ultrasound imaging to monitor & control the resulting temperature distributions and zones of thermal coagulation. Experimental and theoretical techniques are routinely employed in the development of these devices and treatment strategies. Current areas of active development include image guided prostate ablation, new techniques for liver and bone tumor treatment, and thermobrachytherapy for pelvic tumors. 

Selected Publications

Ross AB, Diederich CJ, Nau WH, Gill H, Bouley D, Daniel B, Ricke V, Butts RK, Sommer G, Highly directional transurethral ultrasound applicators with rotational control of MRI guided prostatic thermal therapy, Physics in Medicine and Biology, 49(2) 189-204, 2004
 
Diederich CJ, Stafford RJ, Nau WH, Burdette EC, Price RE, Hazle JD, Transurethral ultrasound applicators with directional heating patterns for prostate thermal therapy: In vivo evaluation using MR thermometry, Medical Physics, 31(2):405-413, 2004.
 
Tyreus PD, Diederich CJ, 2-D attenuation mapping of high temperature interstitial ultrasound lesions, Physics in Medicine and Biology, 49(4):533-546, 2004.
 
Diederich CJ, Nau WH, Ross AB, Tyreus PD, Butts K, Sommer G, Catheter-based ultrasound applicators for selective thermal ablation: Progress toward MRI-guided applications in prostate, International Journal of Hyperthermia. 20(7):739-756, 2004.
 
Nau WH, Diederich CJ, Ross AB, Butts RK, Rieke V, Bouley D, Gill H, Daniel B, Sommer G, MRI-guided interstitial ultrasound thermal therapy of the prostate: A feasibility study in the canine model, Medical Physics, 32(3) 773-743, 2005.

Nau WH, Diederich CJ, Shu R. (2005) Feasibility of using interstitial ultrasound for intradiscal thermal therapy: a study in human cadaver lumbar discs. Phys Med Biol ;50(12):2807-21.
 
Ross AB, Diederich CJ, Nau WH, Rieke V, Butts RK, Sommer G, Gill H, Bouley DM,  Curvilinear transurethral ultrasound applicator for selective prostate thermal therapy. Med Phys;32(6):1555-65, 2005.
 
Diederich CJ, Thermal ablation and high-temperature thermal therapy: overview of technology and clinical implementation, International J. of Hyperthermia, 21(8):745-753, 2005.

Kinsey AM, Diederich CJ, Tyreus PD, Nau WH, Rieke V, Pauly KB, Multisectored interstitial ultrasound applicators for dynamic angular control of thermal therapy. Med Phys 2006;33(5):1352-63, 2006.