Researchers developing central nervous system (CNS)-targeted therapies can now leverage Carthera’s SonoCloud® ultrasound-mediated drug delivery platform, helping inform and enhance preclinical development strategies for novel therapeutics.
Diepenbeek, Belgium, and Lyon, France, 25th of November, 2025 – InnoSer, a leading preclinical contract research organization (CRO), and Carthera, a clinical-stage MedTech company, are pleased to announce a strategic collaboration. The partnership will offer access to Carthera’s preclinical SonoCloud® platform, an innovative ultrasound-based medical device developed to support the treatment of a wide range of brain disorders, helping researchers explore new strategies for CNS-targeted therapeutics.
Carthera’s SonoCloud® system uses low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPU) and microbubbles to safely open the blood-brain barrier (BBB) for several hours, increasing the concentration of the therapeutic in the brain. This approach enables the delivery of larger or otherwise poorly bioavailable compounds across the brain parenchyma, helping address one of the most persistent challenges in CNS drug development. The SonoCloud® system has been used in ongoing clinical trials for glioblastoma (Carpentier et al, 2024, NCT03744026, NCT05902169) and Alzheimer’s disease (NCT 03119961, Epelbaum et al, 2022), providing industry innovators with a seamless preclinical-to-clinical strategy to support translation of next-generation CNS therapies.
“Carthera is a global leader in ultrasound-mediated blood–brain barrier (BBB) opening, with a Phase 3 trial underway in glioblastoma patients. Our partnership with InnoSer empowers drug developers to overcome the key challenge of brain drug delivery—accelerating the development of new therapies and expanding treatment possibilities for patients facing devastating brain diseases.”, Michael Canney, CSO of Carthera.
InnoSer, renowned for its preclinical neuroscience platform consisting of translational disease models and readouts, will serve as the preclinical partner for studies using Carthera’s SonoCloud® technology. “This partnership provides our clients with access to a clinically validated tool, allowing industry innovators to explore novel strategies aimed at enhancing the efficacy of CNS-targeted therapeutics that would otherwise be limited by poor brain penetration, ultimately helping to de-risk and optimize their drug development programs”, commented Maarten Loos, PhD, director of InnoSer Laboratories Netherlands. The preclinical SonoCloud® platform is validated and operational at InnoSer, with studies ready to be initiated.
This partnership marks a significant step forward in enabling broader access to ultrasound technology, paving the way for more effective therapeutic strategies in neuroscience.
About Carthera
Carthera is a privately held, clinical-stage medtech company developing SonoCloud®, a novel ultrasound-based platform designed to revolutionize drug delivery for brain diseases. By temporarily opening the blood-brain barrier (BBB), SonoCloud allows previously blocked therapeutic agents to reach their targets, unlocking new potential for the treatment of brain cancers and other severe brain diseases. Established in 2010 as a spin-off of AP-HP Paris and Sorbonne University, Carthera is guided by the inventions of its founder, Professor Alexandre Carpentier, head neurosurgeon at AP-HP Sorbonne University and a global leader in advancing therapies for brain disorders. Additional information is available at carthera.eu.
Contact Carthera
Pierre De Rossi, PhD, director of preclinical research at Carthera
About SonoCloud®
SonoCloud® is an innovative medical device developed by Carthera. It emits ultrasound to temporarily increase the permeability of the blood vessels in the brain to improve the delivery of therapeutic molecules. Invented by Pr. Alexandre Carpentier and developed in collaboration with the Laboratory of Therapeutic Applications of Ultrasound (Laboratoire Thérapie et Applications Ultrasonores, LabTAU, INSERM) in Lyon, France, SonoCloud is an implant inserted into the skull and activated prior to injection of a therapeutic agent. Several minutes of low-intensity ultrasound opens the blood-brain barrier for six hours and increases the concentration of therapeutic molecules in the brain. This ultrasound induced opening of the blood-brain barrier is a world first; it offers a new treatment option for a wide range of indications, including brain tumors and Alzheimer’s disease. SonoCloud is an investigational product, the device has not yet received EMA or FDA approval.
About InnoSer
Founded in 2012, InnoSer is an innovative and dynamic CRO supporting the pre-clinical development of drugs from its facilities in Belgium and the Netherlands. InnoSer supports its customers in the critical steps of their drug development journey with well-characterized in vitro and in vivo disease models in addition to general drug development services, allowing to uncover valuable insights into the mode of action, pharmacokinetics, safety, and efficacy of investigational compounds.
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