World's first: IIT-Madras releases 3D images of foetal brain

The institute's director says it's the largest publicly accessible digital dataset and can help in early diagnosis, treatment of health conditions affecting the brain

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THE Indian Institute of Technology-Madras has achieved a rare feat in the field of brain mapping technology by releasing 3D high-resolution images of human foetal brain on Tuesday. IIT-M director V Kamakoti claimed that such images are being released for the first time in the world and the achievement is also special as such advanced human neuroscience data has been produced for the first time in India.

As many as 5,132 brain sections were digitally imaged at cell resolution level using cutting-edge brain mapping technology developed by the team at Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre at IIT. The high-resolution foetal brain images will have significant applications in enhancing current foetal imaging techniques and have the potential to enable early diagnosis and treatment of health conditions affecting the brain, Kamakoti said.

The image dataset, named 'DHARANI', is now the largest publicly accessible digital dataset of the human foetal brain and is freely available to researchers worldwide.