# Neuroimaging Analysis Center (NAC)

> **NIH NIH P41** · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · 2021 · $1,297,592

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The ability to access huge cohorts of patient medical records and radiology data, the emergence of ever-more
detailed imaging modalities, and the availability of unprecedented computer processing power marks the pos-
sibility for a new era in neuroimaging, disease understanding, and patient treatment. To unlock the full medical
potential made possible by these new technologies, new algorithms and clinically-relevant techniques must be
developed by close collaboration between computer scientists, physicians, and medical researchers.
We are excited to propose a national resource center with the goal of finding new ways of extracting disease
characteristics from advanced imaging and computation, and to make these methods available to the larger
medical community through a proven methodology of world-class research, open-source software, and exten-
sive collaboration. The overarching theme for this P41 renewal is the discovery and analysis of novel imaging
phenotypes to characterize disease. We use the term imaging phenotypes to describe patterns or features of
disease that can be detected through imaging (predominantly MRI) followed by machine learning, statistical
analysis, feature detection, and correlation with other indicators of disease such as structured patient infor-
mation.
The three proposed Technology Research & Development (TR&D) projects address this common question us-
ing a variety of complementary approaches and clinical testbeds. TR&D 1 addresses microstructure of tissue,
including novel imaging methods to detect tumor microstructure. TR&D 2 investigates rich spatial patterns of
disease extracted from clinical imaging with a focus on cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative conditions
such as stroke. Finally, TR&D 3 proposes novel image and connectivity-based features that can be correlated
with a variety of diseases, with a clinical emphasis on pediatric brain development. Technical innovation will be
driven by intense collaboration between the TR&Ds and key collaborators in neurosurgery, neurology, and pe-
diatrics.
The TR&Ds will leverage recent important developments in the fields of image acquisition, machine learning,
and data science to identify and exploit novel imaging phenotypes of disease. Building on our long history of
developing clinically-relevant methods, each TR&D includes a translational and clinical validation aim to ensure
our work is clinically relevant and effective at meeting the driving clinical goals. NAC's proven software engi-
neering, translation, and dissemination infrastructure, along with its established network of academic, medical,
and industrial partners, enhance the center's value as a national resource.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10244973
- **Project number:** 5P41EB015902-24
- **Recipient organization:** BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Ron Kikinis
- **Activity code:** P41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $1,297,592
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1998-09-30 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10244973

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10244973, Neuroimaging Analysis Center (NAC) (5P41EB015902-24). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10244973. Licensed CC0.

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