MRI mapping of tiny brain fluid spaces to help detect and monitor Alzheimer's
Official title: Development of perivascular space mapping toolset as a diagnostic aid for Alzheimer's disease
Funded at Neuroscope INC. · NIH-11143789 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project builds MRI-based tools to map small fluid-filled channels in the brain to help people with or at risk for Alzheimer's get clearer diagnoses and safer treatment monitoring.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Neuroscope INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Scarsdale, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | August 1, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,245,800 |
| NIH project number | 5R44AG087855-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11143789 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates include people with Alzheimer's disease or mild cognitive impairment, those being considered for amyloid-targeting therapies, or patients with suspected cerebral amyloid angiopathy.
✕Less likely to help
People without access to MRI, those with dementias not related to perivascular clearance, or patients with MRI-incompatible implants or severe claustrophobia may not benefit directly.
What this research studies
This work creates software that reads routine clinical MRI scans to map perivascular spaces (the small channels that help clear waste from the brain). The team combines existing MRI data and imaging methods to produce non-invasive, in-vivo maps linked to Alzheimer’s-related changes. Because some amyloid-clearing treatments can cause brain swelling or bleeding in people with vascular amyloid, these maps could help doctors monitor for those risks. The goal is to turn research imaging methods into a clinical tool clinics can use for diagnosis and treatment decisions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the tool could help clinicians detect Alzheimer-related clearance problems earlier, guide use of amyloid-targeting therapies, and reduce treatment-related imaging abnormalities like ARIA.
How similar studies have gone: Prior MRI studies have linked perivascular space changes to Alzheimer's and cerebral amyloid angiopathy, but clinically ready automated PVS mapping tools remain limited and this development is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Neuroscope INC.
Scarsdale, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Choupan, Jeiran — Neuroscope INC.
- Study coordinator: Choupan, Jeiran
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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.