Agessandro Abrahao Junior
Dr. Abrahao is a clinical research leader in novel applications of focused ultrasound and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). After his residency, he completed a two-year fellowship in cerebellar ataxias and a master's degree in Neuroscience. He then undertook advanced clinical fellowship in neuromuscular disorders and focused ultrasound at Sunnybrook and completed a master's of Clinical Epidemiology and Health Care Research at the University of Toronto.
His primary interest is expanding the clinical applications of MRI-guided focused ultrasound techniques for patients with neurodegenerative diseases and movement disorders. His work in the Harquail neurophysiology and TMS Lab aims to accelerate the development of diagnostic biomarkers and imaging-guided neuromodulation strategies for patients with ALS and other brain disorders. Capitalizing on the Sunnybrook ALS clinic – the largest in Canada, the goal is to address the unmet need for accelerated diagnosis and non-invasive, direct-to-brain therapies for ALS using advanced neurophysiological techniques, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and focused ultrasound.
The Lab also provides a broad pipeline of neurophysiological outcomes for multiple Harquail initiatives, including real-time tremor quantification for focused ultrasound ablative surgeries, peripheral nerve responses in ALS trials, physiological measures in psychiatric disorders, such as PTSD, and TMS measures of brain function. Founded in 2019 and directed by Drs. Abrahao and Zinman, the Harquail Neurophysiology and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Lab houses multiple national and international graduate students and postgraduate fellows. The Lab supported the first trial of accelerated TMS neuromodulation in ALS, deep brain stimulation trials, and many other key Harquail research initiatives.
In collaboration with Drs. Lipsman and Hynynen, Dr. Abrahao led the world's first MRI-guided focused ultrasound trial to open the blood-brain barrier and enhance drug delivery to the motor cortex of patients with ALS. He also helped run Sunnybrook's MRI-guided focused ultrasound trial for bilateral essential tremor treatments.