Open brain image library for Alzheimer's neuropathology
Brain Digital Slide Archive: An Open Source Platform for data sharing and analysis of digital neuropathology
Building a free online system that shares and organizes high-resolution brain tissue images to help researchers working on Alzheimer's disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Emory University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Atlanta, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-10992093 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project creates an open, federated platform to store and share whole-slide images of brain tissue from people with Alzheimer's and related dementias. It will standardize file formats and naming, apply de-identification to protect privacy, and enable remote access to very large images without moving huge files. The platform adds tools for expert annotation and for machine-learning algorithms to learn from many labeled examples. By connecting hospitals, brain banks, and researchers, it aims to make neuropathology data easier to use across institutions.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias (or their families) who can donate brain tissue or allow their pathology images and data to be shared for research.
Not a fit: People seeking direct clinical care or those who cannot or will not share tissue or pathology data are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could speed up the discovery of tissue markers and AI tools that improve diagnosis and support development of better treatments for Alzheimer's disease.
How similar studies have performed: A Digital Slide Archive has been used successfully for cancer imaging, and this project adapts that proven platform for brain tissue, so it builds on established technology.
Where this research is happening
Atlanta, United States
- Emory University — Atlanta, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gutman, David Andrew — Emory University
- Study coordinator: Gutman, David Andrew
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.