Dr. Jan Kubanek

Using Ultrasound to Map Brain Circuits Involved in Depression

Jan Kubanek, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine, with secondary appointments in Neurology and Radiology. His research focuses on developing noninvasive, precision neuromodulation technologies that can selectively target deep brain circuits. His lab has pioneered systems for controlled delivery of ultrasound to the human brain, with the technology now being studied in clinical applications for depression, chronic pain and fibromyalgia, opioid addiction, essential tremor, and other disorders of brain function. His work combines human and nonhuman primate electrophysiology and behavioral research with ultrasound-based brain stimulation to develop new, scalable circuit-directed treatments. He is also a co-founder of SPIRE Therapeutics, which is working to advance and scale these technologies for researchers, clinicians, and patients. Dr. Kubanek received his PhD in Biomedical/Medical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, an MS in Biomedical/Medical Engineering from Czech Technical University in Prague, and completed postdoctoral training in Neural Engineering at Stanford University School of Medicine.