Brain-Mapping Software Aims to Protect Key Functions in Tumor Surgery
A spin-off from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Computer Vision Center has created software to help neurosurgeons locate brain regions tied to speech, movement, and cognition before removing tumors. The tool was developed with Bellvitge University Hospital and IDIBELL researchers and has supported 31 operations so far, including 19 at Bellvitge. Its developers plan to commercialize the technology through BrainMapp Software Solutions.
The platform came from a partnership involving UAB, the Computer Vision Center, Bellvitge University Hospital, and IDIBELL. It is designed to help surgical teams locate brain regions tied to language, movement, and cognition before a tumor is removed. To date, it has assisted in 31 procedures, 19 of them at Bellvitge.
BrainMapp Software Solutions intends to bring the system to market. Inside the surgical suite, a workstation gathers stimulation data, the patient's reactions, and test outcomes, then merges these with earlier MRI and neuroimaging scans. It also keeps sound, video, and clinical images, offering clinicians one organized record during an operation.
If adopted more widely, this tool may help neurosurgeons reduce risk of harming speech, movement, or thinking during tumor removal, potentially improving patients' postoperative quality of life. Surgical teams and hospitals could benefit from better-organized intraoperative data, while training and workflow may need adjustment. Patients and families may gain from more informed decisions, though access could depend on cost, regulatory approval, and hospital resources.