The US Brain Aneurysm Foundation (BAF) recently announced the recipients of its 2026 research grants. This year, US$650,000 in funds will support 18 projects aimed at deepening the understanding of how brain aneurysms form and rupture, as well as advancing new approaches to detection, risk assessment and treatment.
According to a BAF press release, investigators will be recognised at the foundation’s 20th annual research grant symposium (17 September 2026, Louisville, USA).
Since launching its research grant programme in 2007, the BAF has invested more than US$7 million in brain aneurysm research—and its early-stage grants have helped researchers generate preliminary data, advance technologies and diagnostics, launch clinical studies, and contribute to the formation of new companies.
The foundation’s 2026 research portfolio spans the “full arc” of brain aneurysm science—from genetic studies of familial disease and artificial intelligence (AI) tools for rupture prediction, to imaging and blood-based biomarkers and therapeutic strategies designed to prevent or limit the effects of aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH).
“Scientific opportunity in brain aneurysm research is accelerating, but access to funding has not kept pace,” said BAF executive director Christine Buckley. “We received more applications this year than ever before, including many ambitious projects that need early evidence before they can compete for larger federal awards. BAF helps bridge that critical gap, giving researchers the resources to test bold ideas, build the data needed to attract additional support, and move the most promising discoveries closer to patients.”
The 18 recipients of this year’s BAF research grants are as follows:
- Steffen-Sebastian Bolz and Darcy Lidington (University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada); targeting prostaglandin D2 synthase as a therapeutic intervention for SAH
- Karol Budohoski and Sri Veeturi (University of Utah Health, Salt Lake City, USA); phenotyping the endothelial response to cerebral ischaemia in an aSAH model
- Elizabeth Crago (University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA); the RESTORE-Symptoms study—hormonal and inflammatory correlates of symptom burden after aSAH
- William Gibson (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada); long-read whole genome sequencing in familial intracranial aneurysms
- Andres Gudino (University of Iowa, Iowa City, USA); biologically validated imaging biomarkers for non-invasive assessment of intracranial aneurysm wall instability
- Koji Hosaka (University of Florida, Gainesville, USA); enhancing neurolysin-mediated neuroprotection after SAH using pyridine piperazine derivatives
- Naoki Kaneko (University of California, Los Angeles, USA); haemodynamic optimisation of a fenestratable membrane flow diverter for complex giant brain aneurysms
- Hiroki Kobayashi (Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, USA); role of periostin-expressing activated fibroblasts in intracranial aneurysm development
- Christian Lopez Blanco (University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA); neuromodulation for the prevention and treatment of cerebral vasospasm
- Khalid Malik (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA); RuptureIQ—physics-informed multimodal AI for haemodynamics-aware prediction of brain aneurysm rupture
- Devin McBride (UTHealth Houston, Houston, USA); restoring microvessel perfusion to prevent delayed neurological deficit (DND) after SAH
- Tatsat Patel and Kerry Poppenberg (University at Buffalo, Buffalo, USA); morphological and transcriptomic signatures of longitudinally followed intracranial aneurysms
- Redi Rahmani (University of Louisville, Louisville, USA); the role of cigarette and electronic cigarette aerosols and constituents on intracranial aneurysm formation and rupture
- Teresa Sanchez (Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City, USA); targeting endothelial sphingolipid signalling as a novel therapeutic strategy for aSAH
- Hirotaka Sato (Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, USA); role of DNMT3A-driven clonal haematopoiesis in intracranial aneurysm rupture
- Zachary Sorrentino (University of Florida, Gainesville, USA); transcriptomic analysis of ventricular catheters to predict cell-mediated brain injury after aSAH
- John Emmanuel Rivera Torio (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, USA); global disparities in intracranial aneurysm management—a comparative study between a high-income and low-to-middle-income country from 2020 to 2024
- Zhen Xu (UTHealth Houston, Houston, USA); role of the endothelial TSPAN5 pathway in intracranial aneurysm pathogenesis
“BAF’s sustained support has brought us closer to a blood-based biomarker that could help identify which brain aneurysms are most likely to become dangerous,” commented 2026 research grant recipient Kerry Poppenberg. “The ability to recognise risk before a rupture could give physicians and patients greater clarity, and more time, to make informed care decisions. Moving from a promising signature to a clinically useful test takes years of rigorous work, and that progress depends on consistent funding.”
The BAF notes in its recent release that an estimated 6.8 million Americans—approximately one in 50—have an unruptured brain aneurysm, with the US federal government spending an estimated US$3.02 annually on brain aneurysm research for each person affected.
