NeuroVu — a tiny remote microscope to watch how seizures affect brain tumors
Official title: NeuroVu: A Novel Cloud-based Microscope for Remote Neurosurveillance of the Seizure-Brain Tumor Nexus
Funded at Johns Hopkins University · NIH-11181552 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project builds a small cloud-connected microscope to monitor how seizures and brain tumors interact, with the goal of helping people who have tumor-related epilepsy.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | September 3, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $245,625 |
| NIH project number | 5R21NS138938-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11181552 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
The people most relevant are patients with brain tumors who also experience seizures, especially those whose seizures are frequent or hard to control.
✕Less likely to help
People without brain tumors or whose seizures are unrelated to tumor biology would not directly benefit from this work.
What this research studies
You would hear that researchers are creating NeuroVu, a miniaturized, cloud-controlled microscope that can image blood flow, oxygen levels, and neuron activity near tumors during natural seizures. The device uses advanced optics (including two-photon imaging) and 3D-printed parts to capture long recording sessions without the need for prolonged anesthesia, and streams data to remote servers for analysis. Researchers will refine and test prototypes in laboratory models and animals first to prove the imaging approach and remote control. If the technology works, it could be adapted for future studies involving patients at clinical centers.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could reveal how seizures make tumors grow or resist treatment and help guide timing or choice of therapies for patients with brain tumors and seizures.
How similar studies have gone: Small, head-mounted and two-photon microscopes have been used successfully in animal neuroscience, but combining cloud-controlled miniaturized imaging specifically to study the seizure–tumor interaction is largely novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Senarathna, Danapala M. M. Janaka — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Senarathna, Danapala M. M. Janaka
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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.