DBP:Lupus
Lupus Solutions
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Brain Lesions in Neuropsychiatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Drs. Jeremy Bockholt and Charles Gasparovi of the MIND Institute and the University of New Mexico are investigating the etymology of brain lesions in neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE). Fatal NPSLE is accompanied by small focal white matter lesions in the brain, among other findings. Making accurate measurements of the location, size, and time course of these lesions is a critical analytical step. However, brain lesions in lupus vary in MRI intensity and temporal evolution. Moreover, the case under consideration may be acute, chronic, or resolving. These factors add to the complexity of white matter lesion analysis in NPSLE. The primary goal of this DBP is to create an end-to-end solution that permits individual analysis of white matter lesions. Clinical investigators from this DBP (Drs. Roldan and Sibbitt) have provided a dataset of 30 brain scans from 25 patients with qualitative evidence of small focal white matter lesions. NA-MIC has the technology and expertise to provide a turnkey lesion segmentation solution for white matter analysis. In collaboration with the Computer Science Core, the PIs from the MIND Institute and University of New Mexico have developed a novel solution for automated lesion analysis capable of segmenting white matter lesions for size, location, and tissue intensity as well as monitoring the course of individual lesions over time.
