AI-based brain projects receive $7.7 million

TORONTO — Brain Canada is pleased to announce an investment of more than $7.7 million to support two innovative research platforms based in Ontario that will drive forward brain health discovery, data sharing, and open science collaboration.

Funded through the Canada Brain Research Fund (CBRF), a visionary partnership between Brain Canada and the Government of Canada, through Health Canada, these two projects will provide Canadian and international researchers with the tools and infrastructure they need to transform how brain disorders are studied, understood, and treated.

“Through the Canada Brain Research Fund, the Government of Canada is pleased to support these two essential and innovative research initiatives, which will help drive new discoveries and improve care for people affected by neurological conditions,” said Marjorie Michel (pictured), minister of health.

The newly supported platforms are the Brain Health Data Challenge (BHDC) platform, led by Dr. Tristan Glatard at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and the Mesoscopic Integrated Neuroimaging Data (MIND) Platform, led by Dr. Ali Khan at Western University.

“Canada is at the forefront of a global shift toward open science in brain research,” said Dr. Viviane Poupon, president and CEO of Brain Canada. “These two platforms exemplify how we can responsibly share data, scale innovation, and build collaborative networks to unlock the full potential of neuroscience and AI.”

The projects:

Building Reproducible AI Frameworks for Brain Health with the Brain Health Data Challenge Platform.
Tristan Glatard, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) (Grant total: $4.9 million.)

With vast amounts of brain health data now available, artificial intelligence is revolutionizing how we understand, diagnose, and treat neurological conditions. However, data privacy regulations often prevent this information from being used in open AI challenges — a key method that has already accelerated innovation in fields like cancer and medical imaging.

The BHDC platform will create a secure, privacy-compliant framework to enable AI competitions using Canadian brain health data. By unlocking these datasets for responsible and collaborative use, the platform will foster the development of reproducible and equitable AI models, helping clinicians tailor treatments and improve care for people living with brain disorders.

“With this transformative investment from Brain Canada, CAMH is proud to lead the development of a secure and robust framework for ethical AI in mental health,” said Dr. Aristotle Voineskos, SVP of Research and Science, CAMH.

“The Brain Health Data Challenge will empower researchers globally to address complex brain health questions using advanced data science — while upholding the highest standards of privacy and equity. By enabling predictive, reproducible AI for serious mental illness, we move closer to better care, earlier interventions and improved quality of life.”

The Mesoscopic Integrated Neuroimaging Data (MIND) Platform
Ali Khan, Western University (Grant total: $2.9 million.)

The MIND Platform combines ultra-powerful MRI and lightsheet microscopy, which enables researchers to see the brain’s structure and activity in unprecedented detail. By linking images of living brains with detailed microscopy of brain tissue, scientists can gain deeper insights into how diseases like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s progress, affect brain circuits, and can be treated.

The MIND Platform builds on two internationally recognized imaging facilities at Western University to create a centralized, standardized repository for high-resolution brain tissue data. Through a user-friendly online portal, researchers around the world will be able to send brain tissue for imaging and access powerful tools to analyze the data — without requiring advanced infrastructure at every site.

By adopting global data standards and a robust open science framework, the MIND Platform will fuel national and international collaboration, enabling deeper understanding of brain structure, function, and disease.

“Western is internationally recognized for its strengths in neuroimaging, with a long history of innovation and collaboration,” said Robert Bartha, vice dean of research and innovation at Western’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. “The MIND Platform builds on that foundation, pairing powerful imaging technologies with open science to push the boundaries of how we explore and understand the brain.”

Together, these platforms mark a major step forward in Canada’s leadership in brain research, making it easier for scientists to share knowledge, build on each other’s work, and transform brain health through open, data-driven innovation.

About Brain Canada
Brain Canada is a national charitable organization that enables and supports excellent, innovative, and collaborative brain research in Canada. Through the Canada Brain Research Fund, a public-private partnership with the Government of Canada through Health Canada, Brain Canada funds initiatives that advance knowledge, drive innovation, and accelerate the development of diagnostics, treatments, and cures.

About the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada’s largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital and a world leading research centre in this field. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to help transform the lives of people affected by mental illness and addiction. CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre.

About Western University
Western University delivers an academic experience second to none. Since 1878, The Western Experience has combined academic excellence with life-long opportunities for intellectual, social and cultural growth in order to better serve our communities. Our research excellence expands knowledge and drives discovery with real-world application. Western attracts individuals with a broad worldview, seeking to study, influence and lead in the international community.