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Democratizing Discovery in Spatial Transcriptomics Through the Brain Image Library.

Award Number: R50MH141899
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/01/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 03/31/2029

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Democratizing Discovery in Spatial Transcriptomics Through the Brain Image Library. - ABSTRACT The Brain Image Library (BIL) serves as a central repository for advanced microscopy data, ensuring valuable neuroscience datasets are preserved and shared following FAIR principles. While BIL successfully handles traditional microscopy data, it currently lacks specialized tools for spatial transcriptomics datasets, which present unique computational challenges due to their high dimensionality and complex metadata structures. This project will develop essential computational infrastructure to make spatial transcriptomics data in BIL more accessible and analyzable for the broader neuroscience community. We will implement four key components: (1) standardization of data submission and storage using the community-supported Spatialdata format, enabling efficient handling of large-scale molecular data with coordinate system transformations and alignment capabilities, (2) development of an intuitive browser-based visualization system that allows researchers to explore gene expression patterns through interactive scatter plots and maps with density-based rendering, (3) creation of a natural language search interface leveraging Large Language Models for complex queries across molecular and anatomical parameters, and (4) integration of foundational models for automated cell type annotation and metadata generation. By standardizing data organization and providing intuitive exploration tools, this work will maximize the reuse potential of these valuable datasets and lay the groundwork for future cross-modality analyses that combine molecular and imaging data to generate new biological insights.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $88,484 )
2026	2026	CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY	5000 FORBES AVE	PITTSBURGH	PA	15213	ALLEGHENY	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	1	3/19/2026	NEW	$88,484
														Subtotal = $88,484

Grand Total All Awards = $88,484

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Democratizing Discovery in Spatial Transcriptomics Through the Brain Image Library.

Award Number: R50MH141899

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/01/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 03/31/2029

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