This pioneering work from the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre of IIT Madras pushes the frontiers of Brain Mapping Technology and places India in the global league of brain mapping science as this is first-of-its-kind work anywhere in the world.

Brain sections

For the first time globally, 5,132 Brain sections have been captured digitally using cutting-edge Brain Mapping Technology developed by Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre in the Institute.

First time

This monumental work is the first time such advanced human neuroscience data has been produced from India. The project was done at less than 1/10th of the costs in Western Countries.

The research was undertaken by a multidisciplinary team at IIT Madras with researchers from India, Australia, U.S., Romania and South Africa, and medical collaborations with Chennai-based Mediscan Systems and Saveetha Medical College Hospital.

Crucial

This research, led by Prof. Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam, Head, Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre, IIT Madras, is critical for India as the country accounts for nearly one-fifth of the world’s childbirths at 25 million each year (SOURCE – https://www.unicef.org/india/key-data#:~:text=With%20the%20birth%20of%2025,the%20world’s%20annual%20child%20births).

Vital

This makes it vital for the country to understand the brain development from the fetus to a child, to adolescence, and to a young adult, and developmental disorders like learning disabilities and autism.

Support

This work was supported by the Office of Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Mr. Kris Gopalakrishnan, IIT Madras Distinguished Alumnus and Co-Founder, Infosys, Premji Invest, Fortis Healthcare and Agilus Diagnostics. NVIDIA, the leading AI company, partnered with the Centre to help process these petabytes of brain data.

Special journal issue

These findings of this Research has been accepted for publication as a Special issue by Journal of Comparative Neurology, a century-old peer-reviewed systems neuroscience journal, say sources from IIT Madras.

Importance

Dr. Suzana Herculano-Houzel, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Comparative Neurology spoke about the importance of this research.

DHARANI is now the largest publicly accessible digital dataset of the human fetal brain, created with less than one-tenth of the initial funds that powered the Allen Brain Atlas, and with a technology platform that was entirely custom-made in India between 2020 and 2022, during the COVID pandemic, said Dr Suzana.

IIT Madras, thus, joins the Allen Brain Institute, and India joins the US, at the table of human brain cartography where large sums are invested to provide mankind with freely-available atlases of the available knowledge about the structures that compose the human brain, said Dr Suzana.

Praises

Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India congratulated the researchers on this cutting edge work.

I am delighted that India is at the forefront in generating human fetal brain maps for the first time through this cutting-edge technology developed by IIT Madras’s Brain Centre.

We are pleased that the support from our office has seeded this pioneering effort advancing scientific knowledge in this frontier area of brain sciences, and has generated a global resource for researchers worldwide, he said.

Accomplishment

Mr. Kris Gopalakrishnan, IIT Madras Distinguished Alumnus and Co-Founder, Infosys, said this accomplishment reconfirms that Indian R&D can create world-class science and technology.

It also demonstrates the success of a unique public-private-philanthropy-partnership (PPPP) model. We must dream big to create global impact. Ambitious research programs are multi-disciplinary and multi-year, and I hope this program inspires more such programs in India and will get private and public support, he said.

Key global research resource

The Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre has created this comprehensive cell resolution atlas of the human fetal brain in the second trimester.

This detailed atlas, where the researchers have identified and marked over 500 brain regions, will serve as an important global reference for advancing human neuroscience research for decades to come, say sources from IIT Madras.

New discoveries

Further elaborating on the importance of this research, Prof. Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam, Head, Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre, IIT Madras, said this study will pave way for new scientific discoveries, allowing quantification of neurodevelopmental disorders and advances in fetal medicine.

This is now the largest publicly accessible digital dataset of the human fetal brain, advancing current knowledge by 20X. This is the first time such advanced human neuroscience data has been produced from India and made freely available as a global resource, he said.

The Centre has developed a world-class high-throughput histology pipeline that processes whole human brains into high-resolution digital images at petabyte-scale. These unique first-in-class data sets of human brains of different types and ages provide an unprecedented high-resolution view of human brains that reveal cellular level details across the entire brain.

In just two years, the Centre has acquired over 200 brains of different types, ages (fetal, neonate, young adult, adult, old age) and diseases (stroke, dementia) from various medical institutions in the country, and processing them into cellular resolution digital volumes through the Centre’s high-throughput imaging platform.

The Centre is in a unique position to attain global leadership by generating the largest repository of human brain data in the world of various types that will serve as a global reference for decades to come.

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The objective is to accelerate adoption of Zero Emission Trucks (ZET) like Electric Trucks in India as despite trucks representing only 5% of the vehicle fleet, they consume nearly 65% of diesel, leading to substantial pollution and fuel consumption costs.

1. Project Driver Rating Application (DRA): An AI-driven mobile app to assess truck driving behaviour on safety and energy efficiency

Ø The mobile app will include anticipative alerts designed to inform drivers of inadequate driving behaviour relative to the static context of road infrastructure.

Ø Enrol drivers of diesel trucks, which are operating in long distances of minimum of 4,000 km per month.

2. Project Outreach: Generate awareness about Zero Emission Trucking (ZETs) among the truck drivers and operators

Ø Conducting outreach events to generate awareness about ZETs among end users including drivers, helpers, mechanics, fuel pump operators, body fabricators, and small fleet operators.

Ø Project to cover States that contribute to 80% of the population of Medium and Heavy-Duty Trucks (more than 12T Gross Vehicle Weight – GVW).

Ø The project aims to cover the trucking community directly through physical events at a minimum of 200 locations across South, Central, West, and Eastern States (excluding North Zone States, which were covered during pilot trials) and through digital communications that are apt for the user layer.

Awareness and Acceptance

Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said awareness, acceptance and Adoption – that is the process being taken.

This first step is to make these stakeholders aware of the different aspects of truck electrification – the trends, advantages, challenges and technologies, he said.

The idea is to build a strong relationship based on trust. Once that relationship is in place, we plan to engage with them in order to help them accept the electrification journey – appreciating the benefits that accrue to them as well as the country and world at large, said IIT Madras director.

Prof Kamakoti further said “Finally, we will help them adopt truck electrification with the right tools, training and preparations.”

There are many people who are working with different Stakeholders for Truck Electrification – IIT Madras is engaging with this mostly neglected community that is going to be most critical in the Adoption of e-Trucks, said director of IIT Madras.

Fast growth

India’s trucking industry is on a fast growth trajectory with freight movement making up 70% of road-based transportation.

Such initiatives, launched early and with prolonged engagement, is expected to help India accelerate the Electrification of Trucks, thereby saving import costs of petroleum, improving competitiveness, reducing emissions and increasing driver comfort and well-being, say sources from IIT Madras.

This layer of stakeholders consisting of drivers, cleaners, operators, mechanics, dhabha owners, masseurs, barbers and pump operators, among others, widely called the ‘User Layer’, will be the most critical layer from a psychological acceptance perspective, he said.

Prof Shankar Ram of IIT Madras further said while most of the other Stakeholders like fleets, Government, etc., will be influenced by the main monetary, policy, emission and energy security considerations.

This layer actually feels the direct impact of any change in Trucking and, that too, on a day-to-day base, said Prof Shankar of IIT Madras.

The drivers, especially, will be seeing significant improvements in their personal comfort due to truck electrification- the noise, vibration, heat, fatigue, acceleration and many other criteria will see significant improvements, he said.

But they will also be required to replan their schedules in order to find that extra couple of hours to break journey for charging, he said.

This community needs to understand and accept these changes well in advance, he said.

Key highlights

Key highlights of the new initiatives are:

Ø Content and communication shall be in local languages, or English or Hindi, depending on the local requirement.

Ø Digital communications and updates on ZETs to engage end users continuously. And live streaming of select events at select locations.

Ø Create digital content and activities such as a YouTube channel, YouTube advertisements, testimony videos, a digital quiz, dissemination via WhatsApp groups, etc.

Ø Share insights from end users with organisations such as thinktanks, OEMs, and supporting infrastructures, working towards accelerated adoption of ZETs.

Ø Project duration – 16 to 18 months.

Community

T. K. Ajithkumar, CEO, Centre of Excellence for ZET said they will be working with this community over the next 12 to 18 months through partners.

While the engagement details are conceived and designed by CoEZET, it is implemented through our partners who are skilled in the communication and technology tools required for these engagements.

One of our partners will be doing hyper-local events in the dhabas, truck stops, goods exchanges and Logistics parks, he said.

Such initiatives, launched early and with prolonged engagement, is expected to help India accelerate the Electrification of Trucks, thereby saving import costs of petroleum, improve competitiveness, reduce emissions and increase driver comfort and well-being, he said.

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