Integrating Hemodynamic Signatures, Endothelial Mechanobiology, and Patient-Specific Models for Precision Risk Assessment of Intracranial Aneurysms

Intracranial aneurysms represent a major neurovascular health burden, with post-menopausal women exhibiting approximately twice the prevalence compared to men. Despite advances in imaging and clinical management, current risk stratification tools remain limited, largely relying on gross morphological features. Sex-related risk factors particularly hormonal imbalance associated with menopause remain insufficiently understood and inadequately integrated into clinical decision-making. There is therefore a critical need to move beyond static descriptors toward mechanistic, patient-specific risk assessment frameworks that integrate hemodynamic forces, vascular biology and individualized anatomical context.

Our multidisciplinary Czech consortium brings together expertise in clinical neurosurgery, computational hemodynamics, additive manufacturing, microfluidic bioengineering, vascular biology to address this unmet need. We integrate well-characterized cohorts of ruptured and unruptured intracranial aneurysms with advanced computational and experimental platforms to identify hemodynamic risk signatures and to dissect mechanobiological responses of the vascular endothelium under pathological flow conditions.

Czech Consortium Competences and Collaborative Offering:

·        Clinical Neurosurgery and Patient Data:
Partner neurosurgical centers provide access to comprehensive cohorts of patients with intracranial aneurysms, including high-resolution CTA imaging datasets from both ruptured and unruptured lesions. This strong clinical foundation ensures direct translational relevance.

·        Computational Hemodynamic Modeling:
We apply state-of-the-art computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to quantify spatially resolved hemodynamic parameters—such as wall shear stress heterogeneity, and oscillatory flow patterns—associated with aneurysm destabilization. These metrics are systematically correlated with clinical outcomes to refine rupture risk predictors.

·        3D-Printed Physiological Models:
Patient-specific, full-scale 3D-printed vascular phantoms are generated for experimental validation, visualization, and flow testing. These models provide a physical link between in silico simulations and experimental observations and support both research and surgical planning.

·        Advanced Microfluidic Endothelium Platforms:
Using proprietary luminal surface treatment techniques, we fabricate endothelialized microfluidic channels that reproduce physiologically relevant vessel geometries and enable precise control of hemodynamic conditions. These platforms support mechanistic investigations of endothelial responses to aneurysm-relevant flow environments and the identification of biological pathways implicated in aneurysm initiation and progression.

·        Cellular and Mechanobiological Integration:
Our microfluidic systems incorporate human endothelial cells, enabling dynamic studies of flow-induced cellular signaling, barrier integrity, inflammatory activation, and mechanotransduction processes relevant to aneurysm development.

Strategic Vision:
By integrating patient-derived imaging data, high-fidelity CFD, additive manufacturing, and biologically relevant microfluidic platforms, our consortium aims to establish a new mechanistic paradigm for intracranial aneurysm risk assessment and treatment. We seek to identify quantitative, mechanistically grounded biomarkers of rupture risk that surpass conventional size-based criteria and to develop experimentally validated, clinically meaningful models for individualized prognosis and therapeutic decision support.

We are actively seeking Horizon Europe partners with complementary expertise in vascular biology, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, and translational neurovascular research to jointly develop predictive tools for personalized cerebrovascular care.