Google Maps For The Human Body

Biomedical researchers will have a similar tool to help them navigate the human body's vast network of cells.

Credit : University of Pittsburgh

The Human BioMolecular Atlas Program, or HuBMAP, is an international research consortium with the common goal of creating a global atlas of healthy cells in the human body.

Credit : University of Pittsburgh

When finished, the resource will be made freely available to drug developers and clinical researchers, who will be able to use it to shape the development of specialised medical treatments.

Credit : University of Pittsburgh

HuBMAP's concept is similar to the National Institutes of Health's Human Genome Project, which sequenced every gene in the human body.

Credit : University of Pittsburgh

Bioinformaticians at the University of Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, Carnegie Mellon University, 

Credit : University of Pittsburgh

and Stanford University are in charge of transforming this massive amount of data into a usable tool.

Credit : University of Pittsburgh

"Creating an ecosystem that can connect all the different pieces of data into a single large knowledge resource is a difficult job, but that's what this team has special expertise in; 

Credit : University of Pittsburgh

we are good at integrating all kinds of various pieces of software and making them run," said Jonathan Silverstein, co-lead of the Pittsburgh HuBMAP Infrastructure and Engagement Component at Pitt.

Credit : University of Pittsburgh