AI-assisted radiosurgery planning for multiple brain metastases
Official title: Artificial Intelligence Driven Automatic Treatment Planning of Stereotactic Radiosurgery for the Management of Multiple Brain Metastases
Funded at University of Chicago · NIH-11175332 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses artificial intelligence to create faster, personalized radiosurgery plans for people with multiple brain metastases.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R37 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Chicago NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $357,794 |
| NIH project number | 5R37CA272755-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11175332 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with multiple (typically four or more) brain metastases who are being considered for stereotactic radiosurgery would be the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose disease requires whole-brain radiotherapy, who have diffuse leptomeningeal spread, or whose tumors are unsuitable for SRS are unlikely to benefit from this planning approach.
What this research studies
This project will use AI to automatically generate stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) plans for patients who have many brain metastases. The AI learns from past plans and physician preferences to produce high-quality, consistent plans even when there are many tumors of different sizes and locations. That could shorten planning time and make SRS more practical as an alternative to whole-brain radiation. The team will compare AI-generated plans to conventional planning using clinical data and physician review.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could give patients with multiple brain tumors quicker, more personalized SRS plans that may help preserve thinking and memory compared with whole-brain radiation.
How similar studies have gone: SRS for multiple brain metastases has shown promising clinical results recently, but using AI to fully automate high-quality treatment planning is a newer approach still under testing.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Chicago
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Tian, Zhen — University of Chicago
- Study coordinator: Tian, Zhen
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.