_{Brain scan image provided by Mount Sinai in 2024. (Mount Sinai via AP)}

Every 18 minutes, a brain aneurysm ruptures—often with devastating consequences. Yet despite the severity of this condition, research funding and diagnostic advancements have lagged behind those of other brain diseases. At the Brain Aneurysm Foundation, we are committed to changing that. In this op-ed, BAF Executive Director Christine Buckley explores how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning can revolutionize early detection and treatment, saving lives and preventing disability. By harnessing AI’s potential, we can accelerate interventions, improve patient outcomes, and close critical gaps in brain aneurysm care. Read more about the urgent need for innovation and funding in this space.

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_{by Christine Buckley, BAF Executive Director}

More than 1 in 50 people in this country have an unruptured brain aneurysm. Every 18 minutes, one of those aneurysms will rupture, often leading to death or permanent neurological damage. For many, the trauma may initially present as an intense headache, often ignored until it is too late. For those individuals who do seek medical treatment, more than 25% will be misdiagnosed. Most aneurysms are treatable, though positive outcomes require early intervention.

While tools used by surgeons to treat brain aneurysms have made major leaps over the past few decades, imaging remains the primary way of detecting whether a patient is at risk for a rupture. However, these life-saving scans are costly and can be difficult to access. While emerging research using biomarkers may one day provide a lower-cost alternative, such technology is still years away.

Historically, federal funding for brain aneurysm research has been limited, and advances in this space have been slower to emerge than in other areas of other brain diseases and stroke. As an organization, the Brain Aneurysm Foundation’s focus has been to fund early-stage research to increase the number of tools doctors have at their disposal.

To that end, this is where we believe artificial intelligence and machine learning can play a critical role. AI already helps physicians find and identify a broad range of conditions while removing variability in data and reducing time spent on labor-intensive manual tasks. Though a doctor may not initially be looking for an aneurysm, commercially available AI tools provide methodical ways to diagnose their presence and monitor their growth.

Looking ahead, AI-driven insights informed by comorbidities, genetics, and eventually biomarkers could help physicians determine the probability of an individual patient rupturing. We also expect predictive AI algorithms trained on data from MRIs and PET scans to provide physicians with real-time recommendations as to an individual’s likelihood of rupture, ultimately accelerating interventions.

This year, ruptured brain aneurysms will lead to death or permanent disability for tens of thousands of Americans. Yet research funding from the National Institutes of Health remains less than the cost of a small coffee for every person impacted. The Brain Aneurysm Foundation is working with industry and academia, funding research on a range of AI efforts to understand all aspects of the disease, its onset, detection, and treatment.

When it comes to innovation, Massachusetts is a prime location for new developments. Our state is at the forefront of so many industries, from healthcare to technology, extending to AI. In fact, Gov. Maura Healey has emphasized her commitment to maintaining Massachusetts’ position as a leader in the AI industry, establishing an AI Task Force and the MA AI Hub all in her first two years in office. Fostering partnerships among government agencies, industries, academia, and healthcare providers will encourage new uses of AI in diagnostics and treatment, as well as a vibrant R&D environment for treatments. Nuanced policymaking in this space will further support these efforts, benefitting researchers, patients, and the Commonwealth as a whole.

AI will play an essential role in helping fill crucial gaps in physicians’ understanding of the disease. It will prove a critical tool to better detect and diagnose brain aneurysms in ways we have already seen in identifying chronic disease and viral outbreaks and creating personalized medicines. The evolution of new innovations to protect the millions of individuals with brain aneurysms has been slower than most other areas of brain health. AI can help us make strides to accelerate patient access to available interventions, ultimately protecting millions from preventable death and disability.