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Funding Research Today to Prevent Ruptures Tomorrow

Through BAF support, researchers studying new diagnostic strategies designed to expand screening and improve understanding of brain aneurysm risk—before ruptures occur.

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2026 Research Grant Spotlight

The Brain Aneurysm Foundation is proud to support groundbreaking research aimed at improving outcomes for patients and ultimately preventing ruptures. Each week, we’ll highlight one of our 2026 funded researchers and provide a brief overview of their project and its potential impact on patients, families, and the future of care.

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Tatsat Patel, MS, PhD and Kerry Poppenberg, PhD

University at Buffalo

Morphological and Transcriptomic Signatures of Longitudinally Followed Intracranial Aneurysms

TThis project aims to identify markers, through both gene expression and cerebral imaging analysis, that are associated with aneurysm growth over time. These markers may be used in the future to identify aneurysms most likely to grow that could benefit from treatment or additional monitoring.

We anticipate that successful completion of this research will identify new markers of aneurysm instability that can be used to inform treatment or surveillance practices. Ultimately, we hope that such biomarkers can save individuals from experiencing aneurysmal rupture. This project will also result in a better understanding of biological differences between aneurysms that grow and those that remain stable.

This project is funded by the Carol W. Harvey Chair of Research and the Team Suze Chair of Research

The Facts

1 in 50 people in the U.S. has an unruptured brain aneurysm
A brain aneurysm ruptures every 18 minutes
Early detection is critical as most brain aneurysms are treatable
The federal government spends only $3.02 per year on brain aneurysm research for each person afflicted

Personal Stories

Alonna’s Story – Video

After surviving a ruptured brain aneurysm and enduring a long and difficult recovery, Alonna became determined to protect her children by seeking screening for her sons.
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Mariana’s Story – Video

After losing her mother to a ruptured AVM, Mariana understood firsthand how devastating a brain bleed can be.
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Aretha’s Story – Video

On August 11, 2022, Aretha’s life changed in an instant when she experienced a sudden brain aneurysm rupture during a work video call.
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Sarah Jean’s Story – Video

Sarah’Jean’s rapid diagnosis and treatment after a ruptured brain aneurysm highlight the lifesaving importance of immediate medical attention and the ongoing need for better screening, research, and access to care.
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Danisha’s Story – Video

After experiencing symptoms for nearly a decade that were repeatedly dismissed as migraines, Danisha suffered a life-threatening rupture in 2017 while home alone recovering from surgery.
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Honoring Katelyn’s Memory – Video

Katelyn Caruso passed away at 31 from a ruptured brain aneurysm. Her family stresses the need for research funding, given that brain aneurysms affect 1 in 50 people and early detection can prevent ruptures.
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Our Impact

The Brain Aneurysm Foundation is the leading advocacy organization supporting education, research, and policy to transform the treatment of brain aneurysms. Funds raised are used for disease awareness efforts and grants that provide support to academic researchers studying the underlying biology of aneurysms or developing new treatment methods. Grantees include leading academic researchers whose work includes efforts to develop biomarkers to better predict and develop potential therapeutics for aneurysms, understand the impact of genetics on rupture outcomes, and create new device technology, drug delivery and robotic approaches to evolve treatment. The BAF has committed nearly $6 million to fund dozens of research efforts in the U.S. and Canada.

Over $6.5 million

has been funded by the BAF since the inception of our research grant program in 2007
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7,500 primary care professionals

are educated each year by the BAF via PriMed
Watch Webinars
We advocate on Capitol Hill

to seek greater brain aneurysm specific research funding through NIH
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Take Action

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Your donation to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation goes directly to critical research efforts focused on reducing the incidence of brain aneurysm ruptures, to create new diagnostics to better prevent ruptures and interventions to transform treatment. Funds are also used to support our education initiatives as we work to advance awareness of the signs of brain aneurysms amongst those at risk, as well as providers and emergency responders.

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