The Brain Aneurysm Foundation Highlights Recent Advances from its Research Grantees

Early-stage BAF research funding helps advance clinical studies, supports company formation, and enables publication of potential breakthrough science in leading medical journals

HANOVER, Mass., Jan. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Brain Aneurysm Foundation (BAF), the leading advocacy organization supporting education, research, and policy to transform the treatment of brain aneurysms, today shared progress updates from several recipients of its research grants, demonstrating important milestones made possible through early funding for academic researchers.

BAF is the largest private funder of brain aneurysm research, and its strategic investments fuel breakthroughs in early detection, prevention, treatment, and technology, advancing the standard of care and improving outcomes for patients.

"Every grant we award expands the scientific understanding of brain aneurysms and strengthens the pathway to earlier diagnosis and more effective, personalized treatment," said Christine Buckley, executive director of BAF. "We measure success not only in dollars granted, but in lives changed through the insights, innovations, and clinical impact our research makes possible."

Federal research funding for brain aneurysms remains disproportionately small compared to other neurological disorders and stroke, with approximately $3 in research funding per person impacted. Approximately 1 in 50 people have an unruptured brain aneurysm, with more than 30,000 ruptures occurring annually in the United States. Half of those ruptures are fatal, and nearly two-thirds of survivors experience neurological deficits.

"Funding affects all aspects of the disease process—from diagnosis and screening to characterizing which aneurysms might rupture, to treatment and follow-up," said Dr. Edgar Samaniego, MD, a vascular neurologist and researcher at the University of Iowa Department of Neurology. "We have great tools for treating aneurysms, but in terms of understanding biology, screening patients, or trying to find a genetic footprint for possible aneurysms in the general population, we are still in the very early stages."

Recent Highlights from Grant Recipients:

Devin McBride, PhD, UTHealth Houston: BAF funding helped Dr. McBride generate preliminary data, leading to an NIH grant to expand research on the roles of platelets and neutrophils in delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Data from BAF-supported experiments also enabled UTHealth to become a partner site for a forthcoming clinical trial investigating tirofiban—an antiplatelet drug—for its potential to prevent DCI after SAH.

Mark Johnson, MD, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine: With support from BAF, Dr. Johnson and his colleagues published several papers on cerebral aneurysm morphology and how it relates to aneurysm behavior. Their work continues, now focusing on how morphometric measurements can help define aneurysm irregularity and on the implications of residual aneurysms after treatment.

• Johnson et al. "A systematic review and meta-analysis of 3D morphometric parameters for cerebral aneurysms." World Neurosurgery (2024). doi:10.1016/j.wneu.2023.12.131
• Johnson et al. "Predicting intracranial aneurysm rupture status with machine learning." Surgical Neurology International (2025). doi:10.25259/SNI_498_2025
• Johnson et al. "Inter-modality correlation across invasive and non-invasive angiography in the 3D assessment of cerebral aneurysms." Surgical Neurology International (2025). doi:10.25259/SNI_1019_2024

Joseph Antonios, MD, PhD, Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine: BAF-supported research leveraged endoluminal sampling and immune profiling to characterize inflammatory cell populations within human intracranial aneurysms and was published in Neurology. This work informs ongoing multi-omic and translational efforts to develop immune-based biomarkers and targeted therapies to modify aneurysm progression and rupture risk.

• Antonios et al. "Immune characterization of intracranial aneurysms using noninvasive endoluminal biopsy with high-dimensional single-cell phenotyping." Neurology (2025). doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000214185

Edgar Samaniego, MD, Department of Neurology, University of Iowa: Since receiving a BAF grant in 2023, Dr. Samaniego's team has published 15 manuscripts on intracranial aneurysms in high-impact journals, including the Journal of Neurointerventional Surgery, Translational Stroke Research, and Neurosurgery. This work has also been presented at major academic meetings, including the Society of Neurointerventional Surgery, the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology, and the International Stroke Conference.

Louis-Philippe Bernier, PhD, Research Associate, University of British Columbia Centre for Brain Health: BAF funding, followed by support from organizations including the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation, helped validate an approach to develop lipid nanoparticle mRNA (LNP-mRNA) medicines for a range of CNS disorders. Along with colleagues at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Bernier spun off CereCura Nanotherapeutics Inc., which focuses on neurodegenerative disorders using technology that may also be applied to brain aneurysms.

Husain Sodawalla, PhD, Northern Arizona University: BAF-supported research published in the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research helps fill a major gap in neurovascular testing by creating a 3D-printed giant aneurysm model that reliably ruptures under realistic physiological conditions. The model provides a needed platform for evaluating how effectively new endovascular devices can prevent rupture in high-risk aneurysms. The work will continue as researchers compare current and next-generation devices in terms of long-term protection against aneurysm rupture.

• Sodawalla et al. "Application of 3D printing to create an in vitro aneurysm rupture model." Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials (2024). doi:10.1002/jbm.b.35465

About the Brain Aneurysm Foundation

For more than 30 years, the Brain Aneurysm Foundation has been the global leader and the single trusted source in advancing awareness, research, and patient advocacy for a condition where earlier detection and intervention is essential to saving lives. The Foundation is a leading authority for information on brain aneurysms, with a mission to raise awareness of the symptoms and risk factors in order to prevent ruptures that can have a devastating impact on individuals and families.

The Foundation also works with medical communities to provide support networks for patients and families and is the leading private funder of brain aneurysm research, while championing policy and clinical study advances. Established in 1994 and based in Hanover, Mass., the Foundation is supported by a Medical Advisory Board comprised of the world's foremost aneurysm experts. For more information please visit bafound.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram and YouTube.

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Media Contact:

Lynn Nuttall
Director of Marketing and Communications
Brain Aneurysm Foundation
781-826-5556 x 208
[email protected]

SOURCE Brain Aneurysm Foundation