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A novel AI-driven technology that swiftly charts the brain to pinpoint sensitive regions responsible for speech, vision, movement, and other essential functions has gained approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), allowing it to be marketed to hospitals with the purpose of improving the accuracy of neurosurgeries. This technology was created by researchers and healthcare professionals at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis to more effectively assist neurosurgeons in conducting intricate brain surgeries to excise tumors or manage epilepsy, for instance.
The Cirrus Resting State fMRI Software is being launched by Sora Neuroscience Inc., a WashU startup that secured the licensing of the technology from the university. This technology is based on decades of leadership in neuroscience and functional brain imaging from WashU Medicine. Its creation has been supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and private investor contributions.
“This will signify a transformative shift for clinical imaging and brain mapping,” stated Eric C. Leuthardt, MD, the Shi H. Huang Professor of Neurological Surgery, who developed the technology at WashU Medicine and co-founded Sora Neuroscience. “Clinicians now have a wider and more accessible method to examine brain function that can swiftly yield insights applicable to neurosurgery and brain disorders, ultimately benefiting patients.”
The development of Cirrus software underscores the crucial part academic entrepreneurs and startup companies play in converting discoveries into real-world solutions that better people’s lives, noted Doug E. Frantz, PhD, vice chancellor for innovation and commercialization at WashU.
“Turning years of scientific advancements into a tool that surgeons can use in the operating room is only achievable through collaborations with commercial entities like Sora Neuroscience and the WashU Medicine faculty who facilitated the company’s formation,” Frantz remarked. “This serves as a clear illustration of how entrepreneurship propels the translation of pioneering research from the laboratory to patient care.”
The Cirrus Resting State fMRI software is capable of identifying distinct networks of brain activity responsible for critical tasks like language, vision, and movement and can generate maps of their respective locations. Typically, such mapping necessitates specialized personnel and can take up to an hour within a scanner. The algorithms within the Cirrus software, which utilize artificial intelligence technology, can examine patterns of interconnected activity in a resting brain recognized to correspond to specific brain functions. They can complete the mapping of multiple brain networks in as little as 12 minutes of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which monitors alterations in the brain’s blood flow to determine areas of neurological activity.
The scans conducted for the Cirrus software occur while an individual is at rest within the MRI machine, rather than engaging in tasks such as speaking or moving fingers and toes to activate specific brain networks. Leuthardt clarified that task-based fMRI typically produces usable maps for surgeons about two-thirds of the time, usually due to patient movement or their inability to perform the task. In contrast, 87% of Cirrus’ scans can be reliably integrated into a surgeon’s operating protocol.
Task-based fMRI is also restricted to individuals capable of executing these tasks and adhering to instructions. For this reason, the Cirrus Resting State fMRI software procedure will make fMRI mapping accessible to a significantly larger group of patients, according to Joshua Shimony, MD, PhD, a radiology professor at WashU Medicine Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, who collaborated with Leuthardt on the studies that form the basis of the technology and is also a scientific consultant for Sora Neuroscience.
“Resting state fMRI can be performed on patients who struggle with task-based fMRIs, such as children, individuals who are disoriented, those requiring sedation or anesthesia, or patients who are hard of hearing or non-English speakers,” he noted.
Leuthardt stated that although the technology was initially created in his lab, the foundational data stemmed from decades of WashU Medicine-led research on resting-state fMRI imaging. Carl Hacker, MD, PhD, who recently completed his WashU neurosurgery residency, developed the AI-driven algorithms powering the Cirrus program while pursuing his doctoral studies in Leuthardt’s lab. Physicians and scientists have worked together for years to refine and enhance the imaging analytical capabilities for pre-surgical brain mapping and evaluate its effectiveness.
WashU’s Office of Technology Management filed the initial patents over a decade ago and licensed the technology in 2021 to Sora Neuroscience. The company was established in 2020 by Leuthardt along with Hacker and WashU Medicine professor of radiology Daniel Marcus, PhD, and assistant professor of radiology Mikhail Milchenko, PhD.
About Washington University School of Medicine
WashU Medicine is a worldwide leader in academic medicine, encompassing biomedical research, patient care, and educational initiatives with 2,900 faculty members. Its National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding portfolio ranks as the second largest among U.S. medical schools and has grown by 83% since 2016. Alongside institutional investments, WashU Medicine dedicates over $1 billion annually to fundamental and clinical research innovation and training. The faculty practice consistently rates within the top five nationally, with more than 1,900 faculty physicians practicing across 130 locations, also serving as the medical staff for Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals of BJC HealthCare. WashU Medicine has a rich history in MD/PhD training, recently committing $100 million to scholarships and curriculum reform for its medical students, and is home to prestigious training programs in every medical subspecialty, as well as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and audiology and communication sciences.
Originally published on the WashU Medicine website
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