IIT Madras Releases World's First 3D Fetal Brain Atlas

Chennai: Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has become the first research organization globally to release the most detailed 3D high-resolution images of the human fetal brain. This work from the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre places India in the global league of brain mapping science.

The newly released dataset, called ‘DHARANI,’ includes 5,132 digitally captured brain sections and is available open-source, making it freely accessible to researchers worldwide.

For the first time globally, such advanced human neuroscience data has been produced from India and made publicly available. This open-source dataset is accessible to researchers worldwide, making it a significant global resource for furthering research in neuroscience, developmental disorders, and fetal brain development.

The dataset provides detailed insights into brain development from the second trimester of fetal life, marking over 500 identified brain regions, and is expected to pave the way for breakthroughs in understanding neurodevelopmental disorders like autism and learning disabilities.

It is also expected to advance current fetal imaging technologies, enabling earlier diagnosis and better treatment options for developmental conditions.

This research, completed at a fraction of the cost compared to similar projects in Western countries, was a collaborative effort involving researchers from India, Australia, the U.S., Romania, and South Africa, alongside medical collaborations with Mediscan Systems and Saveetha Medical College.

The project has created a comprehensive cell resolution atlas of the human fetal brain, advancing current knowledge by 20 times and making it freely available for research worldwide.

The work was supported by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India and was made possible by a partnership with NVIDIA, which helped process the large volumes of data generated.

“DHARANI is now the largest publicly accessible digital dataset of the human fetal brain, created with less than one-tenth of the initial funds that powered the Allen Brain Atlas, and with a technology platform that was entirely custom-made in India between 2020 and 2022, during the COVID pandemic,” said Dr. Suzana Herculano-Houzel, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Comparative Neurology. “IIT Madras, thus, joins the Allen Brain Institute, and India joins the US, at the table of human brain cartography where large sums are invested to provide mankind with freely-available atlases of the available knowledge about the structures that compose the human brain.”

The project was led by Prof. Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam, Head of the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre, IIT Madras, and involved researchers from India, Australia, the U.S., Romania, and South Africa, along with medical collaborations with Mediscan Systems and Saveetha Medical College.

Prof. Sivaprakasam said, “This Study will pave way for new scientific discoveries, allowing quantification of neurodevelopmental disorders and advances in fetal medicine. This is now the largest publicly accessible digital dataset of the human fetal brain, advancing current knowledge by 20X. This is the first time such advanced human neuroscience data has been produced from India and made freely available as a global resource.”

The project is particularly important for India, which accounts for nearly one-fifth of the world’s childbirths, with 25 million births annually. It offers valuable insights into brain development from fetus to adolescence and could help in understanding developmental disorders like autism and learning disabilities.

Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, said, “I am delighted that India is at the forefront in generating human fetal brain maps for the first time through this cutting-edge technology developed by IITM’s Brain Centre. We are pleased that the support from our office has seeded this pioneering effort advancing scientific knowledge in this frontier area of brain sciences, and has generated a global resource for researchers worldwide.”

Mr. Kris Gopalakrishnan, IIT Madras Distinguished Alumnus and Co-Founder of Infosys, added, “This accomplishment reconfirms that Indian R&D can create world-class science and technology. It also demonstrates the success of a unique public-private-philanthropy-partnership (PPPP) model. We must dream big to create global impact. Ambitious research programs are multi-disciplinary and multi-year, and I hope this program inspires more such programs in India and will get private and public support.”

The DHARANI dataset is expected to serve as a key global research resource, providing insights that will significantly advance fetal imaging technologies and understanding of neurodevelopmental disorders.