Collaborative Research: ABI Innovation: Integrative Analysis of the Anatomic and Genetic Landscapes in the Mouse Brain

资助授予Old Dominion大学和东弗吉尼亚医学院，以开发新的计算方法来分析Allen Brain Atlas数据集，该数据集包含最全面的基因组规模、细胞分辨率和小鼠大脑三维基因表达模式的集合。对这些数据的全球分析将阐明哺乳动物大脑的解剖和遗传格局，最终导致对大脑功能电路的理解。该项目将开发一类新的计算方法，用于综合分析小鼠大脑的解剖和遗传景观。为了实现全基因组的全球计算，该项目将研究融合全基因组和全脑结构的分层模型。此外，将开发用于数据压缩和可视化的张量计算技术。通过应用这里提出的先进计算方法获得的洞察力有可能实现和加速生物学洞察，并产生可通过实验验证的假说。特别是，这个项目有望在以下领域取得重大进展：(1)通过对遗传网络的多维分析来了解哺乳动物大脑的结构和发育，这些遗传网络可以通过系统水平的基因表达分析来识别；(2)了解活跃并有助于哺乳动物大脑功能的分子途径；以及(3)了解基因的破坏以及分子途径如何可能导致小鼠乃至最终人类大脑的病理。该项目将在教育和培训学生方面发挥不可或缺的作用。艾伦大脑地图集资源已被整合到本科和研究生课程中，作为有吸引力的教学工具。该项目将超越原始数据，从原始数据中提取新知识，从而极大地丰富现有课程并催化新课程的开发。解剖和遗传连接图将被用作创新的教学工具，在那里它们为教授各种主题提供视觉上有吸引力的帮助和例子，并为电子实验室练习提供机会。教育活动将利用老道明大学一流的远程学习计划，该计划的网站专门为教育资源有限的人服务。欲了解更多信息，请访问项目网站：http://compbio.cs.odu.edu/NSF-ABI/.

Grants are awarded to Old Dominion University and to Eastern Virginia Medical School in order to develop novel computational methods for analyzing the Allen Brain Atlas data set, which contains the most comprehensive collection of genome-scale, cellular-resolution, three-dimensional gene expression patterns of the mouse brain. Global analyses of these data would elucidate the anatomic and genetic landscapes of the mammalian brain, leading ultimately to the understanding of brain functional circuitry. This project will develop a class of novel computational methods for integrative analysis of the anatomic and genetic landscapes in the mouse brain. To enable genome-wide global computation, this project will investigate hierarchical models for incorporating genome-wide and brain-wide structures. Additionally, tensor computation techniques will be developed for data compression and visualization. Insights obtained through the application of advanced computational methods as proposed here have the potential to enable and accelerate biological insights and generate experimentally testable hypotheses. In particular, this project is expected to enable significant progress in the areas of (1) understanding the structure and development of the mammalian brain through the multidimensional analysis of genetic networks that can be identified through systems-level analysis of gene expression, (2) understanding molecular pathways that are active and contribute to the function of the mammalian brain, and (3) understanding how disruptions of genes and thus molecular pathways might contribute to pathologies of mouse and ultimately human brains.The project will play an integral part in educating and training students. The Allen Brain Atlas resources have been integrated into undergraduate and graduate curricula as appealing pedagogical tools. This project will go beyond the raw data by extracting new knowledge from them, thereby significantly enriching current curricula and catalyzing new course development. The anatomic and genetic connectivity maps will be used as innovative pedagogical tools, where they offer visually appealing aids and examples for teaching a variety of topics and provide opportunities for in silico laboratory exercises. The educational activities will leverage Old Dominion University's top-class distance learning program whose sites are specifically designed to serve people with limited educational resources. For more information please visit the project website at http://compbio.cs.odu.edu/NSF-ABI/.