BIDMC Awarded $9.1 Million To Advance Assessment and Treatment of Brain Disorders in Women

Project Was Among 23 Selected From More Than 1,700 Applicants

Boston, MA— Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) is one of the award recipients for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Sprint for Women’s Health, an effort focused on addressing challenges and championing innovation in women’s health. The recipients were selected from more than 1,700 submissions from 45 states, the District of Columbia, and 34 countries.

BIDMC will receive $9.1 million to assess brain disorders in women through a new, non-invasive MRI imaging biomarker. Conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and multiple sclerosis (MS) disproportionately affect women, and this research could lead to advances in their detection and treatment.

“We are thrilled to receive this award, which will allow us to rapidly address a critical need in the field of women’s brain health,” said David Alsop, PhD, professor of radiology and director of MRI research at BIDMC. “By developing a novel MRI biomarker and making it broadly available through our commercial partner, we hope to unlock new pathways for understanding and treating brain disorders and ultimately improve outcomes for women facing these debilitating conditions.”

Alsop’s research focuses on developing and improving MRI techniques, particularly those that provide new insight into physiology and disease. Although women face a higher prevalence of conditions like dementia, migraine, and MS, there are significant gaps in understanding how to prevent, detect, and treat them. Movement of molecules and inflammatory messengers in and out of the brain through the surrounding fluid may be key to these pathologies. By developing a novel and non-invasive MRI technology to measure the activity of a specific brain protein that drives this fluid transport, Alsop’s work will bridge these knowledge gaps, advancing both scientific understanding of and clinical care for women with brain disorders.

“We are excited to see how Dr. Alsop’s research will drive new discoveries and improve care for women across the country,” said Gyongyi Szabo, MD, PhD, Chief Academic Officer, BIDMC/Beth Israel Lahey Health. “This new ARPA-H award is a testament to the great talent and collaborative capacities of BIDMC. I trust that this award will be the beginning of a new chapter in large scale research initiatives at BIDMC.”