Grant: DRA: Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards - Doctoral

"A stroke occurs every five minutes in Canada. Rapid diagnosis is critical, hence the motto “time is brain”. However, understanding how and where vascular failure occurs remains a challenge. The brain relies on a vast and complex network of blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients. Our approach will use the best available pictures of the brain’s arteries and create digital representations of this vascular network using artificial intelligence (AI) technology. We will study how these blood vessels bend, turn, and form new branches. This will give us insight into when things go wrong, such as when a vessel is blocked or develops an abnormality. This project aims to transform how brain arteries are mapped and analyzed by combining ultra-high-field MRI, physics, and AI. Using a cutting-edge 7 Tesla MRI scanner, we will capture highly detailed images of brain arteries, which AI models will convert into maps of the arterial network. The AI models can also be applied to CT images. Physics-based insights will help interpret and validate AI results. By automating a task that is currently slow and manual, these tools will enable faster, more consistent vascular assessments, particularly in urgent settings such as acute stroke, and enable researchers to compare arterial structure across people, imaging methods, and MRI scanner strengths in ways not previously possible. Beyond clinical impact, the project will address fundamental questions and test theories about how the arterial network is organized within the brain. By combining advanced imaging, AI, and physical theory, this project will create high-resolution arterial roadmaps to improve cerebrovascular disease detection and understanding of brain’s blood supply."