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• About

Professional Focus

Dr. Diederich's primary research activities include the design and development of ultrasound devices, support systems, and procedures for applying targeted hyperthermia and high-temperature thermal therapy. The application of hyperthermia or moderate thermal therapy (40-45 °C) to tissue may be used to significantly enhance radiation therapy, chemotherapy, gene therapy, immunotherapy, and drug delivery/activation (e.g., nanoparticles). High temperature (50-80+ °C) thermal therapy is currently used to outright destroy tumors or permanently change the physical properties of tissue. These ultrasound devices can produce shaped heating patterns and are more controllable than other modalities, thus potentially providing more conformable heating, better response and lower complication rates; the technology has demonstrated potential for cancer therapy, treatment of non-malignant disease, and tissue structural modification. 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 to monitor & control the resulting temperature distributions and zones of hyperthermia or thermal coagulation. Current studies with these devices will investigate image-based targeting of hyperthermia, thermally-targeted drug delivery, ultrasound assisted drug delivery, and hyperthermic enhancement of tissue oxygenation in sites such as prostate, cervix, and brain. Additional activities include the characterization and evaluation of existing ultrasound, microwave, and RF equipment currently in clinical use or under development. Clinically directed research efforts have led to innovations and recent implementations of devices such as interstitial ultrasound applicators for heating prostate or cervix in conjunction with HDR brachytherapy, and include Investigational Device Exemptions from the FDA for use of equipment in clinic as well as protocol development.

Education

Professional Experience

Awards & Honors

Publications

Nau WH, Diederich CJ, Stauffer PR (2000). Directional power deposition from direct-coupled and catheter-cooled interstitial ultrasound applicators. International Journal of Hyperthermia. 16(2):129-44.

Deardorff DL, Diederich CJ (2000). Axial control of thermal coagulation using a multielement interstitial ultrasound applicator with internal cooling. IEEE Trans. Ultrason., Ferro., Freq. Contr., 47(1):170-178.

Deardorff DL, Diederich CJ (2000). Direct-coupled Ultrasound Applicators with Internal Water-cooling for High Powered Interstitial Thermal Therapy. IEEE Trans. Biomed. Engnr., 47(10):1356-1365.

Rossetto F., Diederich C. J., and Stauffer P. R., (2000). Thermal and SAR characterization of multielement dual concentric conductor microwave applicators for hyperthermia, a theoretical investigation. Medical Physics, 27, 745-53.

Diederich CJ, Nau WH, Burdette EC, Bustany IS, Deardorff D, Stauffer PR (2000). Combination of transurethral and interstitial ultrasound applicators for prostate thermal therapy: theoretical and experimental studies. International J. Hyperthermia, 16(5):385-403.

Lesh M. D., Guerra P., Roithinger F. X., Goseki Y., Diederich C., Nau W. H., Maguire M., and Taylor K., (2000). Novel catheter technology for ablative cure of atrial fibrillation. Journal of Interventional Cardiac Electrophysiology, 4 Suppl 1, 127-39.

Deardorff DL, Diederich CJ, Nau WH (2001). Control of thermal coagulation: comparative evaluation of microwave and ultrasound water-cooled interstitial applicators. Medical Physics 28(1):104-117.

Nau WH, Diederich CJ, Burdette EC (2001). Evaluation of multielement catheter-cooled interstitial ultrasound applicators for high-temperature thermal therapy. Medical Physics. 28 (7):1525-1534.

Kleinstueck F, Diederich CJ, Nau WH, Puttlitz CM, Smith JA, Bradford DS, Lotz JC (2001). Acute biomechanical and histological effects of IDET on human lumbar discs. Spine 26(20):2198-2207.

Hazle JD, Diederich CJ, Kangasniemi M, Price RE, Olsson LE, and Stafford RJ, (2002). MRI guided thermal therapy of transplanted tumors in the canine prostate using a directional transurethral ultrasound applicator. J. Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 15(4): 409-17.

Tyreus PD, Diederich CJ, (2002). Theoretical model of internally cooled interstitial ultrasound applicators for thermal therapy. Physics in Medicine and Biology, 47(7): 1073-89.

Kangasniemi M, Diederich CJ, Price RE, Stafford RJ, Schomer D, Olsson LE, Tyreus PD, Nau WH, Hazle JD, (2002). Multiplanar MRTI guided thermal coagulation of canine brain and intracerebral tumor tissue by an interstitial ultrasound applicator. J. Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Nov;16(5):522-31.

Kleinstueck, F. S., C. J. Diederich, W. H. Nau, C. M. Puttlitz, J. A. Smith, D. S. Bradford and J. C. Lotz (2003). Temperature and thermal dose distributions during intradiscal electrothermal therapy in the cadaveric lumbar spine. Spine 28(15): 1700-8.

Tyreus, P.D., W.H. Nau, and C.J. Diederich, (2003). Effect of applicator diameter on lesion size from high temperature interstitial ultrasound thermal therapy. Med Phys, 30(7): p. 1855-63.

Ross AB, Diederich CJ, Nau WH, Gill H, Bouley D, Daniel B, Ricke V, Butts RK, Sommer G, (2004). Highly directional transurethral ultrasound applicators with rotational control of MRI guided prostatic thermal therapy. Physics in Medicine and Biology, 49(2) 189-204.

Diederich CJ, Stafford RJ, Nau WH, Burdette EC, Price RE, Hazle JD, (2004). Transurethral ultrasound applicators with directional heating patterns for prostate thermal therapy: In vivo evaluation using MR thermometry. Medical Physics, 31(2):405-413.

Bass E, Wistrom E, Diederich CJ, Nau WH, Pellegrino R, Ruberti J, Lotz J, (2004). Heat induced changes in annulus fibrosus biomechanics. Journal of Biomechanics, 37(2):233-240.

Tyreus PD, Diederich CJ, (2004). 2-D attenuation mapping of high temperature interstitial ultrasound lesions. Physics in Medicine and Biology, 49(4):533-546.

Nau WH, Diederich CJ, (2004). Evaluation of temperature distributions in cadaveric lumbar spine during nucleoplasty. Physics in Medicine and Biology, 49(8):1583-1594.

Diederich CJ, Nau WH, Ross AB, Tyreus PD, Butts K, Sommer G, (2004). Catheter-based ultrasound applicators for selective thermal ablation: Progress toward MRI-guided applications in prostate. International Journal of Hyperthermia. 20(7):739-756.

Stafford RJ, Price RE, Diederich CJ, Kangasniemi M, Olsson LE, and Hazle, JD, (2004). Interleaved echo-planar imaging for fast multiplanar magnetic resonance temperature imaging of ultrasound thermal ablation therapy. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 20(4):706-14.

Nau WH, Diederich CJ, Ross AB, Butts RK, Rieke V, Bouley D, Gill H, Daniel B, Sommer G, (2005). MRI-guided interstitial ultrasound thermal therapy of the prostate: A feasibility study in the canine model. Medical Physics, 32(3) 773-743.

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.

Pisani LJ, Ross AB, Diederich CJ, Nau WH, Sommer FG, Glover GH, Butts K. (2005). Effects of spatial and temporal resolution for MR image-guided thermal ablation of prostate with transurethral ultrasound. J Magn Reson Imaging; 22(1):109-18.

Ross AB, Diederich CJ, Nau WH, Rieke V, Butts RK, Sommer G, Gill H, Bouley DM. (2005). Curvilinear transurethral ultrasound applicator for selective prostate thermal therapy. Med Phys; 32(6):1555-65.

Diederich CJ (2005). Thermal ablation and high-temperature thermal therapy: overview of technology and clinical implementation.. International Journal of Hyperthermia, 21(8):745-753.

Diederich CJ (2005). Thermal ablation and high-temperature thermal therapy: overview of technology and clinical implementation. 21(8):745-753.

Bass EC, Nau WH, Diederich CJ, Lienberg E, Shu R, Pellegrino R, Sutton J, Attawia M, Lotz JC (2006). Intradiscal Thermal Therapy Does Not Stimulate Biologic Remodeling in an In Vivo Sheep Model. Spine Journal, 31(1).

Kinsey A, Diederich CJ, Tyreus PD, Nau WH, Rieke V, Butts-Pauly K (2006). Multi-sectored interstitial ultrasound applicators for dynamic angular control of thermal therapy. Medical Physics, 33(5):1352-63.

Nau WH, Diederich CJ, Shu R, Kinsey A, Bass E, Lotz J, et al. (2007). Intradiscal thermal therapy using interstitial ultrasound: an in vivo investigation in ovine cervical spine. Spine;32(5):503-11.

Kim Butts Pauly, Chris J. Diederich, Viola Rieke, Donna Bouley, Jean Chen, Will H. Nau, Anthony B. Ross, Adam M. Kinsey, and Graham Sommer (2007). Magnetic Resonance-Guided High-Intensity Ultrasound Ablation of the Prostate, Top Magn Reson Imaging, Vol. 17, June.

Rieke V, Kinsey AM, Ross AB, Nau WH, Diederich CJ, Sommer G, Butts Pauly K (2007). Referenceless MR Thermometry for Monitoring Thermal Ablation in the Prostate, IEEE Trans Medical Imaging, 26(6) 813-821.

Wootton, J.H., A.B. Ross, and C.J. Diederich ( 2007). Prostate thermal therapy with high intensity transurethral ultrasound: The impact of pelvic bone heating on treatment delivery. Int J Hyperthermia. Dec. 23(8): 609-22.

Adam M. Kinsey, Chris J. Diederich, Viola Rieke, William H. Nau, Kim Butts Pauly, Donna Bouley, Graham Sommer (2008). Transurethral ultrasound applicators with dynamic multi-sector control for prostate thermal therapy: In vivo evaluation under MR guidance, Medical Physics, 35(5) 2081-2093.

Jing Chen, Bruce L. Daniel, Chris J. Diederich, Donna M. Bouley, Maurice A.A.J. van den Bosch, Adam M. Kinsey, Graham Sommer, Kim Butts Pauly (2008). Monitoring Prostate Thermal Therapy with Diffusion-Weighted MRI, Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 59(6):1365-72.