Nigeria: Nigerian Ai Scientist to Roll Out Software That Cuts MRI Time By 90 Percent

Nigerian AI researcher Mary-Brenda Akoda, the founder of GenScan AI, plans to launch her AI imaging software, GenMRI, in Nigeria and the UK by mid-2027, according to a recent interview. The software, which outperforms existing MRI technology by up to 90 percent, promises to significantly reduce scan times, allowing a 20-minute scan to be completed in just two minutes and an hour-long scan to take only six minutes.

Akoda, a Google DeepMind Scholar and former Microsoft engineer trained at Imperial College London, developed GenMRI using over 8,800 MRI images and underwent a blinded assessment by a UK radiologist. The radiologist was unaware of whether the images were conventional or enhanced by GenMRI, and the results showed the software produced diagnostic images equivalent to conventional MRI images.

Technical evaluations showed up to 99.7 percent similarity between GenMRI and conventional MRI images, with scan times ranging from four to ten times faster. Akoda's motivation for creating GenMRI stems from personal experiences with an overburdened healthcare system and the potential fatal consequences of diagnostic delays, particularly in time-critical conditions like stroke and cancer.

She highlighted how stroke claims over 6.5 million lives annually worldwide and cancer over 10 million, with MRI scans often taking 15 minutes to over an hour. GenMRI aims to address these issues by allowing hospitals to scan more patients per day, reducing waiting lists, and lowering costs associated with sedation and repeat scans, especially for vulnerable populations such as the elderly, children, and infants.