FURI | Summer 2025

Advancing Tools for Magnetic Resonance Image Analysis of Neurovascular Inflammation

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of mortality and disability worldwide. Standard imaging methods, like CT and conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), often miss subtle, non-structural changes, such as inflammation and progressive cellular damage that occur after TBI. To address this gap, the Wang Lab has developed a novel nanoparticle-based system that targets inflammation and carries an MRI contrast agent, designed to improve imaging of neurovascular inflammation following TBI. Building upon this, this project focuses on developing a user-friendly application for processing MRI images to analyze the spatial distribution of the targeted contrast agent and compare MRI data with immunohistochemistry results to assess trends in inflammatory marker colocalization. These efforts could help improve MR-based diagnostic imaging for TBI-related brain inflammation in the future.