RISE-MICCAI Journal Club Special Session - June 28, 2025 - Discovering BraTS

Topics and Presenters:
1. Introduction to the BraTS Challenge - Nazanin Maleki, MD
In 2023, the MICCAI Brain Tumor Segmentation Challenge introduced a sub-challenge focused specifically on pre-treatment metastases for the first time. Participants used various MRI sequences, including T1-weighted, post-contrast T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and FLAIR, to develop robust algorithms for the automatic segmentation of metastatic brain lesions.
The 2025 BraTS-METS Lighthouse Challenge incorporates both pre-and post-treatment brain metastases MRI cases and highlights our future goal to develop algorithms that analyze
longitudinal data and assist in the assessment of treatment response and disease progression.

2. Interactive learning for trainees: Exploring opportunities through the BraTS Challenge - Raisa Amiruddin, MBBS
In line with our goal of engaging trainees in BraTS Challenge activities and enhancing their knowledge of neuroradiology, AI, and medical image segmentation, a group of medical students, postdoctoral fellows, and radiology residents into the image annotation pipeline participated in one-on-one MRI brain tumor segmentation sessions with renowned neuroradiology faculty, simulating the experience of a virtual neuroradiology internship.
The BraTS Lighthouse Challenge educational chapter also incorporated a series of lectures delivered by esteemed faculty in the fields of radiology and computer science and covered a wide range of topics.

3. Preparing students for AI Challenges - Nikolay Yordanov, MD
Participating in an AI-based medical image segmentation challenge requires a diverse skill set and a strong knowledge base. Therefore, the primary goal of the BraTS Lighthouse Educational Chapter is to actively engage trainees through hands-on workshops, ensuring that each prospective participant is equipped with the essential computational and medical knowledge required for such Challenges.