Yihan Wu – 2025 Engineering Prize

2025 Engineering Prize

Non-Invasive Mapping of Cerebrospinal Fluid Flow in Perivascular Subarachnoid Space and Ventricles Using Velocity Selective Spin Labeling MRI

Yihan Wu

Under the mentorship of Dr. Jiadi Xu

 

Yihan Wu, a biomedical engineering PhD student at Johns Hopkins University, developed a new, non-invasive MRI technique called velocity-selective spin labeling (VSSL). This method can safely track how CSF moves through the brain—including in narrow spaces—without the need for surgery or contrast dyes. Using VSSL, she successfully created 3D images of CSF flow in healthy people and measured how fast it moved in different directions.

This research brings us closer to understanding how CSF works in both hydrocephalus-affected and unaffected brains. In the future, it could lead to better ways to diagnose and monitor the condition, and to develop more targeted treatments.