Rajiv Chopra PhD
Dr. Chopra obtained his PhD in Medical Biophysics in 2002 from the University of Toronto. During his time in Toronto, his research focused on improved ways to ablate tissue in the body, incorporating recent advances in MRI to measure temperature precisely in the body. This work resulted in a novel method for prostate tissue ablation involving a transurethral transducer, and real-time MRI feedback. The initial results in simulations, benchtop studies, and animals confirmed the promise of this technology to offer a precise method for prostate tissue ablation without the complications associated with existing treatments.
Dr. Chopra led the world’s first human trials of MRI-guided transurethral ultrasound ablation with urologist Laurence Klotz in Toronto. Based on the promising results of this work, he founded the company Profound Medical in 2008. He has helped Profound grow from a medical device start-up comprised of his laboratory staff and trainees to a publicly traded company poised to offer the next standard of care treatment for organ-confined prostate cancer. He has been involved in hundreds of TULSA procedures, helped launch new clinical programs in multiple countries, and has expanded the use of the technology on multiple MRI platforms and venues. His life’s passion is to make the TULSA procedure available and accessible to all men with prostate disorders.
In 2012 Dr. Chopra was recruited to Texas as a CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research. He directed a Program in high-intensity focused ultrasound at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and launched multiple clinical programs in Focused Ultrasound Therapy for prostate, brain and uterine disorders. In his academic capacity, Dr. Chopra has been the Principal Investigator on multiple Federal grants and clinical trials, and has helped faculty launch new clinical programs in ultrasound therapy at UT Southwestern. He has co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts, and 10 patents. He has founded multiple companies related to the use of image-guided therapy to offer patients better treatments with less complications.
Throughout his career, Dr. Chopra has combined scientific curiosity, rigor, a strong work ethic, entrepreneurship, passion and persistence to advance new biomedical technologies into the hands of physicians and patients. You can read more about Dr. Chopra’s career in the field of focused ultrasound here:
https://www.fusfoundation.org/poss/investigator-profile-rajiv-chopra-phd/
