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The Founder of GenScan AI, Ms Mary-Brenda Akoda has called for increased funding and institutional support to facilitate adoption of innovations.
Akoda, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) research scientist, made the call during a news briefing on Sunday in Lagos.
She won the 2026 Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation, 100,000 dollars prize money sponsored by Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd. (NLNG).
The scientist expressed concern that Nigerian patients could miss out on the benefits of homegrown medical technology, if funding and institutional support were insufficient to facilitate its adoption locally.
She said that access to international funding and collaboration with healthcare institutions was critical to completing clinical validation and securing regulatory approval for GenMRI, her new innovation.
Akoda said that the new invention was capable of reducing Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan time by up to 90 per cent.
She said that this would help to accelerate the clinical adoption of her AI-powered medical imaging technology in Nigeria.
Akoda said that her immediate challenge was moving the technology from successful research validation to practical deployment in hospitals, a process requiring substantial investment in clinical trials and regulatory compliance.
She identified international funding institutions, including the Gates Foundation, Development Innovation Ventures Fund and Global Innovation Fund, as potential partners whose support could help accelerate the process.
“We find ourselves constrained by having to first deploy elsewhere and then have our own home country, Nigeria, as an afterthought.
“There is the need for partners willing to support clinical adoption in Nigeria,” Akoda said.
She disclosed that the Ministry of Education had directed that clinical pilots be facilitated, while discussions were ongoing with relevant healthcare stakeholders to advance the process.
The researcher said that she was working with clinical partners in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, the United States and Kenya to broaden GenScan’s validation across different body regions and clinical settings.
According to her, the innovation has been validated using more than 8,800 MRI images and achieved up to 99.7 per cent similarity to conventional MRI images.
She revealed that an early blinded assessment by a consultant radiologist at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust in the United Kingdom also found the images diagnostically equivalent to conventional scans in all cases assessed.
Akoda, however, emphasised that further clinical studies and regulatory approvals were necessary before the technology could be deployed for routine clinical use.
She said that GenMRI was designed to help hospitals examine more patients using existing MRI scanners, reducing waiting times and the need for costly investments in additional equipment.
According to her, high-quality MRI scanners can cost between $1.5 million and $3.5 million or more.
She said that the cost made it difficult for healthcare facilities to expand their diagnostic capacity through equipment purchases.
Beyond the technology’s technical capabilities, Akoda said that her broader ambition was to bridge the gap between medical research and the people who need its benefits.
“I don’t believe that innovations should remain on paper. The whole idea of a healthcare innovation is that it eventually transforms the lives of the people who need it most,” she said.
Akoda said that her vision for GenScan AI was to ensure that no one suffered or died because of delayed diagnosis.
She attributed her motivation to a personal experience involving the death of an elderly loved one following a stroke, which exposed the potentially devastating consequences of delays in medical diagnosis.
Akoda said that the experience prompted her to investigate how AI could help healthcare professionals overcome systemic challenges and improve diagnostic efficiency.
The researcher also called for stronger collaboration between AI scientists and clinicians, saying that medical technologies must be developed around actual healthcare needs rather than in isolation.
Akoda said that her target was to deploy GenMRI in the second half of 2027, subject to funding, clinical validation and regulatory approval.
She urged government institutions, healthcare providers and international development partners to support efforts to bring the technology to Nigerian hospitals, noting that its ultimate value would depend on its accessibility to patients. (NAN)(NAN)
Edited by Florence Onuegbu
English (US) ·