In the second of several planned for 2021, these workshops – co-hosted by the NIH BRAIN Initiative and the NIH Blueprint – will bring together experts to explore emerging questions on the upcoming ramp-up of the NIH BRAIN Initiative’s cell census and atlas-ing efforts. Please join us on Feb. 9-11, 2021!
Together with the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research, the NIH BRAIN Initiative is sponsoring an exciting three-part virtual series. These upcoming workshops seek input on best practices and recommendations to ensure a dependable supply of high-quality human brain tissue for the ramp-up of the NIH BRAIN Initiative’s cell census and atlas-ing efforts of the human brain. Additionally, these workshops align with recently announced Congressional support for The Human Brain Cell Atlas, one of the transformative projects outlined in BRAIN 2.0: From Cells to Circuits, Toward Cures(pdf, 851 KB).
The sessions will be hosted on Zoom and are open to anyone, although you will need to register to attend. Each session will take place from 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM (EST).
Session 1: Tissue quality and processing for human census
Tuesday, February 9, 2021
This session will be chaired by Drs. Ed Lein and Li-Huei Tsai. It will explore questions on current methods of tissue preparation and stabilization, optimal processing and annotation methods for prospective collection, and considerations of best practices for tissue collection, stabilization, dissection, distribution, and assay protocols. Confirmed speakers include Drs. Evan Macosko, Genevieve Konopka, Dirk Keene, Nadejda Tsankova, and Noah Snyder-Mackler.
Session 2: Open consent and tissue pipeline for prospective collection
Wednesday, February 10, 2021
This session will be chaired by Drs. Dirk Keene and Li-Huei Tsai. It will explore questions on ensuring biological diversity and a representative sample in the census, how best to achieve consent for open sharing of census data, and considerations of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Confirmed speakers include Drs. Thomas Hyde, Steven McCarroll, Deborah Mash, Tish Hevel, Harry Haroutunian, Kristin Ardlie, and Rebecca Folkerth.
Session 3: Break-out sessions to generate ideas for NIH consideration
Thursday, February 11, 2021
In this session, attendees will breakout into small groups to identify key takeaways based on the questions posed in Sessions 1 and 2. Groups will re-convene as a collective body to provide ideas and an action plan for the NIH BRAIN Initiative to consider.
Registration for these workshops is still open! Please register here. For more information, please view the workshop agenda.