Dr. Xu is the Founding Director of the Histotripsy Center. She is the Li Ka Shing Endowed Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Professor of Radiology and Neurosurgery at the University of Michigan. Dr. Xu is the leader of the Histotripsy Group that invented the first non-invasive, non-ionizing, and non-thermal ablation technique that enables incisionless surgery. Using externally delivered ultrasound focused to inside of the body, histotripsy generates cavitation microbubbles that mechanically disrupt the cells in the target region. Histotripsy can be used for non-invasive surgery of many clinical applications. She has led the development of histotripsy for treatment of various cancer, neurological, and cardiovascular diseases.
Dr. Xu and her colleagues co-invented histotripsy in 2002 and co-founded a startup company HistoSonics in 2009. Her work led to the FDA approval of non-invasive treatment using the Edison histotripsy system produced by HistoSonics in October 2023. There are ongoing clinical trials on histotripsy treatment of renal tumors and pancreatic tumors. Dr. Xu received the IEEE Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control (UFFC) Outstanding Paper Award in 2006, Frederic Lizzi Award from The International Society of Therapeutic Ultrasound (ISTU) in 2015, Lockhart Memorial Prize for Cancer Research in 2020, and IEEE Carl Hellmuth Hertz Ultrasonics Award in 2024, and the Sony Women in Technology Award with Nature in 2026. She has been elected as a Fellow of National Academy of Inventors (NAI), American Institute of Medicine and Bioengineering (AIMBE), and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Dr. Xu was named by TIME as the one of the 100 Most Influential Leaders in global health in 2026.