Mary-Brenda Akoda, winner of the 2026 Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation, has developed artificial intelligence (AI) technology that reduces Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan time by up to 90 per cent.
Akoda, an AI research scientist, founder of Genscan AI and former Microsoft engineer, disclosed this at the public presentation of the 2026 prize winner organised by Nigeria LNG Ltd. (NLNG) on Tuesday in Lagos.
She said the technology, called GenMRI, was developed to address delays in medical diagnosis caused by limited MRI scanners, high equipment costs and lengthy scanning procedures in healthcare facilities.
Akoda explained that the idea was conceived following the experience of an elderly relative who suffered a stroke and required an urgent scan but encountered lengthy procedures and subsequently died.
“Sadly, his story isn’t unique. Worldwide, someone suffers a stroke every two seconds, and it kills over 6.5 million people annually, while cancer kills over 10 million,” she said.
According to her, conventional MRI scans can take between 15 minutes and one and a half hours, depending on the procedure, while high-quality scanners cost between $1.5 million and $3.5 million.
She said GenMRI uses AI to reconstruct diagnostic-quality images from less scan data, reducing a 20-minute procedure to about two minutes and an hour-long scan to approximately six minutes.
Akoda said the technology had been retrospectively validated using more than 8,800 MRI images, with findings published in peer-reviewed papers presented at leading conferences.
She added that a blinded assessment by a consultant radiologist at Buckinghamshire NHS Hospital in the United Kingdom found GenMRI images to be diagnostically equivalent to conventional MRI images in all the cases assessed.
“The most significant challenge was ensuring that we weren’t just building an AI system that could create any MRI image, but that it was anchored in the patient’s data,” she said.
Mary-Brenda Akoda with dignitaries and NLNG officials at the public presentation of the 2026 prize winner organised by Nigeria LNG Ltd. (NLNG) on Tuesday in Lagos.
Akoda said Genscan AI was working with clinical partners in the UK, the United States, Kenya and Nigeria to undertake broader clinical validation, secure regulatory approval and conduct pilot deployments, with wider deployment targeted for the second half of 2027.
She said the company also needed additional clinical partners and health innovation funders to support the technology’s adoption in hospitals.
Earlier, Dr Sophia Horsfall, General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, and Senior Management Executive at NLNG, reiterated the company’s commitment to inspiring local solutions to healthcare challenges and celebrating scientific excellence in her welcome address.
She said the initiative sought to demonstrate how effective innovation and accurate diagnosis could improve health outcomes.
The event featured goodwill messages from representatives of relevant organisations, who applauded the innovation and commended NLNG for the initiative.
