Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Ph.D. student Sait Kilinc was recognized with a top award in the student pitch competition at the 2025 IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium in Utrecht, Netherlands.

He came in second place for his research titled, “Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer-Only Transmit-Receive Ultrasound Array for Blood-Brain Barrier Opening in Small Animal Models.”

The research focuses on using capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs)—small devices that use electrostatic vibration to both transmit and receive ultrasonic waves—to enable noninvasive and targeted drug delivery to the brain.

One of the main challenges in this research is the blood–brain barrier (BBB), a protective layer that prevents most therapeutic agents from reaching brain tissue.

Kilinc’s approach uses focused ultrasound in conjunction with microbubbles injected into the veins. When activated by the ultrasound, these microbubbles gently and temporarily open the BBB, allowing medication to pass through only at the targeted location.

A recent small-animal study was able to demonstrate the CMUT-based ultrasound array can both open the BBB and simultaneously monitor microbubble activity in real time over a broad bandwidth.

“This real-time, broadband monitoring is important for ensuring treatment precision and safety,” Sait said. “The results represent a step toward developing scalable systems that could eventually be translated to human use.”

The research was conducted in George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering (ME) professor F. Levent Degertekin’s Micromachined Sensors & Transducers Group, in collaboration with ME Professor Costas Arvanitis’s Ultrasound Biophysics & Bioengineering Laboratory.

On top of the pitch competition, Kilinc has the chance to present a poster and an oral talk to the international ultrasound research community.

“The whole experience was rewarding and valuable, as it allowed me to receive thoughtful feedback and learn about cutting-edge advances in the field,” Sait said. “It also challenged me to it communicate the significance of the research clearly and concisely to a broader audience.”