AI insights supercharging lab-grown brain research

By Mary Bolling

A computer vision expert at CQUniversity is supporting a new wave of medical innovation, with AI analysis on brain ‘organoids’, or lab-grown stem cells that replicate the human brain.

Sydney-based artificial intelligence (AI) academic Dr Anwaar Ulhaq is collaborating with teams around the world, automating and enhancing image analysis of the brain cells, to accelerate understanding of brain growth and disease progression. 

In the past decade, organoid models – miniature, lab-grown clusters of cells that imitate real organs – have transformed research into human development and disease, and reduced reliance on animal testing.

Brain organoids – 3D, brain-like structures grown from stem cells – have progressed from simple cell clusters to sophisticated models that mimic important aspects of brain development and function.

Dr Ulhaq said introducing AI-driven analysis allowed neuroscientists to “see more, understand more, and act faster”. 

“Better imaging leads directly to better science and ultimately, better healthcare,” Dr Ulhaq explained. 

“Brain organoids give us an extraordinary window into how the human brain forms, develops and sometimes malfunctions. 

“But analysing them manually under a microscope is slow, subjective and often inconsistent. Our work brings intelligence into the imaging process itself.”

The latest research, developed through international collaboration with University of Oxford and Khalifa University, was recently published at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers International Conference on Image Processing in Anchorage, Alaska, and the International Conference on Digital Image Computing: Techniques and Applications in Adelaide.

By automating and enhancing image analysis, CQU’s AI technology is accelerating discoveries across multiple areas such as understanding brain development at the cellular level.

“These findings are advancing the rapidly growing field of AI-driven biomedical imaging, and opening new possibilities for brain science, stem cell research and future healthcare,” Dr Ulhaq said.

Dr Ulhaq’s research introduces new AI systems capable of interpreting complex microscope images of stem cell–derived brain tissue and automatically identifying subtle stages of cellular activity such as different phases of cell division that are essential to understanding brain growth and disease progression. 

These systems combine image recognition with biological knowledge, allowing the AI to “understand” what it sees rather than simply detect patterns. 

This approach is particularly powerful in medical research, where data is often limited, rare conditions are underrepresented, and precision is critical.

“Our models are designed for real biomedical environments,” Dr Ulhaq explained. 

“They work effectively even when data is scarce, unbalanced or in visually complex conditions that are typical in stem cell and brain research.”

While the research draws on expertise from international partners, Dr Ulhaq is the research leader and principal investigator.

“CQU is leading this work,” Dr Ulhaq said. 

“Our collaborations strengthen the science, but the vision, methodology and innovation are being driven here.”

The research reflects CQU’s strategic focus on artificial intelligence for real-world impact, particularly in health, medical imaging and advanced technologies that support future healthcare systems.

By uniting artificial intelligence with stem cell biology, Dr Ulhaq’s work represents a shift toward intelligent medical imaging systems that can reason about what they observe and assist researchers in making faster, more reliable decisions.

“As healthcare becomes increasingly data-driven, we need AI that is not only powerful but also trustworthy, explainable and medically grounded,” Dr Ulhaq said. 

“This research is a step toward that future.”

Explore more AI and automated futures research and  CQUniversity’s Centre for Machine Learning - Networking and Education Technology.