OBI Invests $640,000 to Advance AI-Powered Brain Health Research
March 19, 2026
Ontario is supercharging AI-powered brain health research — and OBI's Centre for Analytics is leading the way.
The Ontario Brain Institute (OBI) is investing $640,000 in eight new research projects through its Centre for Analytics (CfA), using artificial intelligence (AI), secure data analytics, and federated learning to accelerate breakthroughs in brain health.
The eight funded projects span a broad range of conditions, including neurodevelopmental disorders, concussion, epilepsy, neurodegeneration, and mental health. Three of these projects are seeking to combine brain data from studies on Brain-CODE, and will be leveraging OBI's NeuroFL federated learning platform, which enables researchers to learn from sensitive health data without compromising patient privacy.
"By leveraging our vast network and the data assets on the Brain-CODE platform, OBI is creating a secure way for researchers across the country to learn from data without moving or exposing sensitive information," said Dr. Tom Mikkelsen, CEO and Scientific Director of OBI. "This approach positions Ontario as a global leader in trusted data collaboration, protecting patient privacy and intellectual property while speeding up the development of life-changing brain health solutions."
The eight funded projects are:
- Multi-modal Federated Learning for Precision Care in Neurodevelopmental Conditions — Dr. Azadeh Kushki, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital & University of Toronto
- Predicting Concussion Recovery through Multimodal Neuroinformatics — Dr. Michael Cusimano, St. Michael's Hospital & University of Toronto (co-funded with The Branch Out Foundation)
- Federated Learning Testbed for Cognitive Health Prediction in Neurodegenerative Disease — Dr. Erin Dickie, CAMH & Dr. Jean-Baptiste Poline, McGill University/The Neuro
- Quantifying Multiple Mental Health Conditions in Neurodevelopmental Disorders (Q-MiND) — Dr. Clement Ma, CAMH & University of Toronto
- A Standardized Neuroanalytics Platform for Multi-Modal Wearable Data — Dr. Benicio Frey, McMaster University
- Multi-Modal Biomarkers of Epilepsy: EEG Synchrony Signatures and Genetic Predictors of Drug Response — Mehdi Abbasi Azadgoleh & team, Epiloid Biotechnology Inc.
- AI-Powered FLAIR MRI Biomarkers for Early Detection of Neurodegeneration — Dr. April Khademi, Toronto Metropolitan University
- Generation and Optimization of Synthetic Methylation Data for Brain Disorder Classification — Paul Wambo & team, EpiSign Inc.
Together, these initiatives build on more than a decade of strategic investment from the Province of Ontario. By uniting them under a secure, federated framework, OBI is converting years of provincial data collection into a powerful engine for discovery, one that protects patient privacy, drives commercialization, and supports high-quality job creation across the province.
"Every day in Ontario, our bright researchers are making ground-breaking discoveries that improve lives and drive our economy," said Nolan Quinn, Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security. "Our government is proud to support the Ontario Brain Institute and commend their new projects that will bolster and protect Ontario's homegrown brain health solutions, further cementing our province as a leader of innovation on the global stage."
To learn more about the CfA and the funded projects, visit braininstitute.ca/cfa.