The MRI-GENIE study specifically investigates the genetic contribution to acute and chronic stroke burden. With our collaborators, we have created a Neuroimaging Repository of MRI scans that, combined with corresponding genetic information, allows us to explore stroke at the genomic level.

Building off of the Stroke Genetic Networks Study (SiGN), MRI-GENIE is the first funded sub-study that has created an automatic pipeline to extract clinically relevant cerebrovascular MRI traits and perform extensive analyses of these traits. By combining neuroimaging data with genetic analyses, MRI-GENIE aims to discover genetic determinants of these stroke-related MRI traits to identify the underlying genetic architecture of stroke risk and outcomes in acute ischemic stroke (AIS).

Automated pipeline

We have developed an automated, volumetric analysis MRI pipeline to analyze the clinical MRIs of acute stroke cases. This allows our team to characterize the amount of acute and chronic vascular brain lesions based on MRI. Designed as a high throughput, multimodal clinical pipeline, it serves as an MRI analysis platform that will advance genetic discovery in stroke and help shape the methodology of stroke analysis in future research. For more details, please see the corresponding publications for the chronic and acute brain lesion pipelines, as well as our high level overview of the former.

Genetic Exploration

In parallel, we are looking to discover genetic variants associated with the acute and chronic MRI-based manifestations of cerebrovascular disease. Identifying these genetic variants will provide clinical advances and personalized medicine.

Collaborations

Collaborations spanning 12 sites worldwide have built up MRI-GENIE’s Neuroimaging Repository to 3301 cases for analysis. MRI-GENIE leverages the expertise of NINDS SiGN, ISGC (International Stroke Genetics Consortium) and MIT as collaborators in order to assess the genetic underpinnings of acute and chronic stroke lesions as seen on MRI scans. The study builds upon an ongoing multi-center, NIH-funded collaboration within the community of stroke neurologists, geneticists, and neuroimaging analysts who together provide a broad spectrum of expertise and contributions to this project.

Ischemic Stroke Genetics Study ISGS	Genetics of Early Onset Stroke GEOS	SAHLSIS GOTENBURG
Leuven Study LEUVEN	Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Stroke Study GCKNSS	BASICMAR Gene BASICMAR
Krakow Study KRAKOW	Genes Associated with Stroke Risk and Outcome Study GASROS	Bio-Repository of DNA in Stroke BRAINS
Lund Study LUND	Miami Stroke Registry MIAMISR	Graz Study GRAZ
The Australian Stroke Genetics Collaborative ASCS	Stroke in Young Fabry Patients SIFAP	Secondary Prevention of Small Subcortical Stroke SPS3
Helsinki 2000 Genetics of Ischemic Stroke HELSINKI	The Siblings With Ischemic Stroke Study SWISS	Stroke Center Biospeciman & Genomic Outcome/Recovery WASHU
Geisinger Medical Center GEISINGER	University of Campinas UNICAMP

Observational Dutch Young Symptomatic StrokE studY ODDESSEY