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Mary-Brenda’s GenScanAI, Capable of Cutting MRI Scan Time by 90%, Showcased in Lagos
Mary-Brenda’s GenScanAI, Capable of Cutting MRI Scan Time by 90%, Showcased in Lagos
Mary-Brenda Akoda, winner of the 2026 Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation (NPSI), has showcased her award-winning innovation, GenScanAI, an artificial intelligence-powered medical imaging technology capable of reducing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan times by up to 90 per cent.
The innovation was presented to medical practitioners, healthcare professionals, researchers, academics, students and technology stakeholders at Vibranium Valley, Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, October 13, as part of efforts to demonstrate its potential to improve diagnostic services and healthcare delivery in Nigeria.
Developed to accelerate MRI image reconstruction while maintaining or improving image quality, GenScanAI offers a potential solution to some of the challenges confronting medical imaging, particularly long waiting times and limited access to diagnostic services.
The technology is designed to work with existing MRI infrastructure, meaning hospitals and diagnostic centres could potentially examine more patients without the immediate need to invest in additional MRI equipment.
By reducing the time required for MRI examinations, the innovation could improve scanner utilisation, shorten patient waiting lists and support faster diagnosis and treatment.
The public presentation provided an opportunity for stakeholders to explore the science behind GenScanAI, examine its potential applications and consider how the innovation could help address practical challenges in healthcare delivery.
Presenting her work, Akoda explained the problem that inspired its development, the technology underpinning the innovation and its potential applications in medical imaging.
The engagement also allowed medical practitioners and researchers to examine its possible practical uses, while students gained insights into how scientific research and technological innovation can be harnessed to solve real-world problems.
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Speaking at the event, Sophia Horsfall, NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, said GenScanAI addressed an important healthcare need, particularly as population growth continues to place increasing demands on diagnostic services.
“Medical imaging plays a critical role in diagnosis and treatment, but the time required for MRI examinations can create delays for patients and limit the number of people healthcare facilities can serve. Innovations such as GenScanAI demonstrate how advances in artificial intelligence and computing can be applied to address practical healthcare challenges and improve the efficiency of existing medical infrastructure,” Horsfall said.
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She described the public presentation as an important opportunity to take the winning innovation beyond the Prize adjudication process and encourage engagement with the medical and research communities.
“This presentation allows healthcare professionals, researchers and students to engage directly with Mary-Brenda’s work, understand its potential and consider how it could contribute to healthcare delivery. The Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation recognises scientific excellence and encourages solutions to national challenges. Creating opportunities for wider engagement with winning innovations is an important part of bringing their potential benefits to public attention,” she said.
GenScanAI’s potential to reduce MRI acquisition time by up to 90 per cent could be particularly beneficial to hospitals and diagnostic centres managing high patient volumes.
Faster examinations could enable healthcare facilities to serve more patients within the same period, improve equipment utilisation and reduce waiting times without requiring immediate investment in additional MRI machines.
The technology’s potential to accommodate patient motion and improve image quality could also support more effective imaging. However, its practical benefits and performance in clinical settings remain subject to appropriate clinical evaluation and validation.
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GenScanAI, also known as GenMRI/C-MORE, uses artificial intelligence to reconstruct MRI images. Its approach seeks to address the time-consuming nature of conventional MRI acquisition and reconstruction while preserving the quality needed for medical interpretation.
The innovation is particularly relevant to healthcare systems where access to MRI services is constrained by the cost of equipment, limited infrastructure and growing demand for diagnostic examinations.
In Nigeria, where expanding access to specialised diagnostic services remains an important healthcare challenge, technologies capable of improving the efficiency of existing facilities could offer an additional means of increasing service capacity.
Rather than requiring hospitals to immediately acquire more scanners, GenScanAI seeks to make existing infrastructure more productive by reducing the time needed to conduct examinations.
Akoda emerged as the winner of the 2026 Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation following a rigorous evaluation of a record 237 entries, the highest number received since the inception of the Prize.
The competition was organised around the theme, “Innovations in Artificial Intelligence or ICT or Digital Technologies for Development,” reflecting the growing role of digital technologies in addressing societal challenges and advancing national development.
Her selection followed an independent assessment by the Prize’s panel of judges, chaired by Dr Omobola Johnson, and the endorsement of the NPSI Advisory Board.
Akoda’s achievement is particularly notable in the history of the Prize, as she became the first woman and first millennial to win it as an individual recipient.
She is a First-Class graduate of Computer Science from Goldsmiths, University of London, and holds a Master of Research with Distinction in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning from Imperial College London, where she was a Google DeepMind Scholar.
She has also worked as a software engineer and artificial intelligence research scientist at Microsoft, including at the Microsoft Mixed Reality and AI Research Lab in Cambridge.
The 2026 edition of the Prize followed a 2025 competition in which no winner was declared because none of the entries met the required standard. The return of a winner in 2026, after the competition attracted a record number of submissions, underscored the organisers’ emphasis on scientific quality, innovation and practical impact.
The Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation seeks to recognise outstanding scientific and technological achievements and encourage solutions capable of delivering meaningful and sustainable benefits to society.
NLNG facilitated the Lagos presentation to provide a platform for Akoda’s innovation to be shared with relevant stakeholders and encourage dialogue about its potential applications.
The engagement at Vibranium Valley reinforced the importance of connecting scientific discovery with the professionals, institutions and communities that could help translate innovation into practical benefits.
Through the presentation, healthcare professionals, researchers and technology stakeholders had an opportunity to engage with a Nigerian-developed innovation that applies artificial intelligence to a critical healthcare need.
As GenScanAI progresses towards practical application, its potential to shorten MRI scan times, improve image quality and increase the efficiency of existing diagnostic infrastructure could make it a significant contribution to ongoing efforts to expand access to medical imaging, subject to clinical validation and implementation requirements.
GenScanAI,Mary-Brenda Akoda,Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation
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