IIT Madras Unveils World's Most Detailed 3D Images of Human Fetal Brain

IIT Madras has released the most detailed high-resolution 3D images of the human fetal brain. This work by IIT Madras' Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre advances brain mapping technology. Check details here

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first research organization in the world to release the most detailed high-resolution 3D images of the human fetal brain. Spearheaded by the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre, this pioneering work pushes the boundaries of brain mapping technology and positions India as a global leader in brain mapping science with this groundbreaking, first-of-its-kind achievement. This research, led by Prof. Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam, Head, Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre, IIT Madras, is critical for India as the country accounts for nearly one-fifth of the world’s childbirths at 25 million each year.

The dataset, named ‘DHARANI,’ is now available as an open-source resource (https://brainportal.humanbrain.in/publicview/index.html), granting free access to researchers worldwide. For the first time globally, 5,132 brain sections have been digitally captured using advanced brain mapping technology developed by the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre at IIT Madras. This groundbreaking work is set to advance neuroscience research and pave the way for developing treatments for brain-related health conditions.

This groundbreaking achievement marks the first time such advanced human neuroscience data has been generated in India. Remarkably, the project was completed at less than one-tenth of the cost incurred in Western countries. The research was carried out by a multidisciplinary team at IIT Madras, featuring collaborators from India, Australia, the U.S., Romania, and South Africa, alongside medical partnerships with Chennai-based Mediscan Systems and Saveetha Medical College Hospital.

This project was supported by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Kris Gopalakrishnan (Distinguished Alumnus of IIT Madras and Co-Founder of Infosys), Premji Invest, Fortis Healthcare, and Agilus Diagnostics. NVIDIA, a global leader in AI, collaborated with the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre to process the extensive petabytes of brain data. The high-resolution brain images generated through this work hold transformative potential for advancing fetal imaging technologies, enabling early diagnosis and treatment of developmental disorders.

Elaborating on the importance of this research, Dr. Suzana Herculano-Houzel, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Comparative Neurology, said, “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. 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.”

Congratulating the researchers on this cutting-edge work, 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.”

Further, Kris Gopalakrishnan, IIT Madras Distinguished Alumnus and Co-Founder, 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.”

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