Mission
VU BIOMIC is a Tissue Mapping Center funded by NIH that is part of the Human Biomolecular Atlas Program (HuBMAP). Our mission is to build a platform of integrated technologies for imaging and molecular analysis that enables the construction of comprehensive 3-dimensional (3-D) molecular atlases of human tissues. The technologies that we are bringing together in BIOMIC have been specifically selected to encompass a range of analytical capabilities that, once combined, will make possible the most detailed molecular atlases possible.
The major theme of BIOMIC is the integration of high spatial resolution and high-content imaging modalities with comprehensive multi-omics data sets mapped across the 3D volume of the tissues. The data sets that are being collected as part of BIOMIC span a vast range of spatial resolutions (gross anatomy of whole organs to singe cells). Through the use of known markers that can be used to segment tissues and cell subtypes, we are able to correlate additional molecular and clinical information, expanding upon the current knowledge of the normal phenotype of the human organs populating the atlas while at the same time providing this expanded understanding in a manner that directly complements the existing clinical, histological, and molecular biological base of knowledge. The value of this approach cannot be overstated because the data generated are comprehensive but easily related to current paradigms of tissue biology.
This resource, once fully developed will greatly aid and accelerate the generation and testing of new hypothesis-driven research. Furthermore, the data sets produced by this program, focused on characterization of normal tissues, will provide a foundation to better understand human health and disease.
History
The Biomolecular Multimodal Imaging Center was established at Vanderbilt University in 2018. BIOMIC is a Tissue Mapping Center for the Human Biomolecular Atlas Program (HuBMAP). The goal of HuBMAP is to create the next generation of molecular analysis technologies and computational tools, enabling the generation of foundational 3D tissue maps and construction of an atlas of the function and relationships among cells in the human body.
The HuBMAP consortium is funded through the NIH Common Fund and is currently made up of 351 collaborators from 62 institutions. All HuBMAP data is publically available through the HuBMAP Data Portal. BIOMIC brings together state-of-the-art mass spectrometry-based imaging capabilities of the VU Mass Spectrometry Research Center with the world-class clinical environment of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and next-generation data integration and analysis approaches developed at the Delft University of Technology. Our current HuBMAP centers are funded by NIH grants U54EY032442 (Eye and Pancreas) and U54DK120058 (Kidney).
