The BRAIN Initiative® Cell Atlas Network (BICAN) embarks on a groundbreaking journey by releasing its first dataset. This milestone promises to reshape our understanding of the human brain and accelerate advancements in neuroscience.
In a landmark development for neuroscience, the BRAIN Initiative® Cell Atlas Network (BICAN) has unveiled its first major data release, marking a transformative step in the quest to comprehensively map the human brain.
The newly available data, made accessible through the BICAN Rapid Release Inventory, includes in-depth single-cell and single-nucleus transcriptomic and epigenomic profiles from humans, mice and 10 other mammalian species. This vast repository is the product of collaborative efforts funded by the National Institutes of Health’s Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative.
Carol Thompson, associate director of data management at the Allen Institute, expressed optimism about the impact of this initiative.
“The tap is open, the data is flowing and more is on the way,” Thompson said in a news release. “The hope is that if we can encourage data reuse and sharing by multiple labs, we can maximize the value of these datasets and really amplify the public investment into research.”
The significance of this initiative extends far beyond initial data collection. By encouraging open science and data sharing, BICAN aims to expedite the pace of discovery in neuroscience, forging a path toward a nuanced understanding of brain cellular diversity and function across various species and developmental stages.
Fenna Krienen, an assistant professor at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute whose lab contributed data to the release, underscored the importance of this breakthrough.
“This release represents a major step forward to this next frontier of neuroscience, where we finally will start to understand what sets the human brain apart,” Krienen said in the news release.
John Ngai, director of the NIH BRAIN Initiative, echoed the sentiment, highlighting the collaborative nature of BICAN.
“By bringing together experts across multiple specialties, the BICAN project is a model of open science,” Ngai said. “The availability of this rapidly growing treasure trove of data will enable researchers around the world to propel the field toward a deeper understanding of the human brain in both health and disease, ultimately paving the way to more precise treatments and cures for devastating brain disorders.”
This innovative approach to early data sharing is poised to revolutionize research methodologies, deviating from the traditional years-long wait for data availability post-publication.
“I hope this model becomes the norm, where we release data before it’s published and work together to create resources for the entire community,” Krienen added.
Researchers worldwide now have unprecedented access to a comprehensive dataset crucial for mapping and defining brain cell types. This endeavor is expected to yield significant insights into the brain’s complexity and pave the way for new therapeutic advances for brain-related conditions.
Thompson emphasized the value of collaborative data usage.
“Neuroscience is a challenging field,” she added. “The more we can do to ensure the data we generate fuels more studies and helps the community, the better off we’ll be.”