From gene therapy to focused ultrasound: Advancing the future of neurological care

In this episode of Physician Huddle by UCI Health, Claire Henchcliffe, MD, DPhil, Stanley van den Noort Endowed Chair in Neurology at the UC Irvine School of Medicine, discusses scaling a 60+ faculty department, expanding clinical trials access and advancing precision neurology through stem cell therapy, artificial intelligence, and multidisciplinary collaboration.Henchcliffe reflects on her path from Oxford to Weill Cornell Medicine and ultimately to UC Irvine, where she has grown the Department of Neurology from fewer than 40 faculty to more than 60, with ongoing expansion underway. She discusses the strategic importance of integrating academic neuroscience with enterprise growth, leveraging campus research strength, community partnerships, and clinical scale to meet a nationwide shortage of neurologists.The conversation highlights the UCI Health depth in neurodegenerative disease, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, ALS, and emerging dementia subtypes, as well as its more than 100 open clinical trials across gene therapy, stem cell transplantation, antibody infusions, and small molecule therapeutics. Henchcliffe describes pioneering work in first-in-human stem cell transplantation for Parkinson’s disease and the launch of magnetic resonance–guided focused ultrasound for non-incisional neurological interventions.Looking ahead, she outlines a vision for precision neurology powered by neurogenetics, AI-driven predictive analytics and neuroinformatics, bringing biomarkers, environment, social determinants and big data together to personalize neurological care.Topics Discussed:Addressing the national neurologist workforce shortageIntegrating campus research with clinical neurologyFirst-in-human stem cell transplantation for Parkinson’s diseaseGene therapy in neuromuscular disordersMagnetic resonance–guided focused ultrasound for non-incisional neurosurgeryExpansion of stroke care and comprehensive stroke center collaborationUndiagnosed Disease Network participationDevelopment of a new headache fellowshipNeuroinformatics, AI and predictive analytics in clinical decision-makingPrecision neurology incorporating genetics, biomarkers and social determinantsMore than 100 open clinical trials across subspecialtiesConnect with UCI Health physicians online at clinicalconnection.ucihealth.org, on LinkedIn @UCI Health Physicians, on Instagram @ucihealthphysicians, or at @uciphysicians on X. Refer a patient at referralportal.ucihealth.org and learn more about ongoing clinical trials at ucihealth.org/clinical-trials.