NIH To Build Neuroimaging Informatics Tools and Resources Clearinghouse
In an effort to promote the enhancement, adoption, distribution,
and evolution of neuroimaging informatics tools and resources,
the National Institutes of Health (NIH) today awarded a five-year,
$3.8 million contract under the auspices of the NIH Blueprint for
Neuroscience Research to build the Neuroimaging Informatics Tools
and Resources Clearinghouse.
“The goal of the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research is to
provide scientists with new tools, resources, and training opportunities
through collaborations and pooled resources,” said NIH Director
Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D. “By building upon significant investments
already made in the informatics area, the Neuroimaging Informatics
Tools and Resources Clearinghouse will provide a coordinated, coherent
resource for the neuroimaging research community.”
Many neuroimaging tools and databases are underutilized because
they are neither user-friendly nor easily adoptable and very often
not well documented. Under this contract, the Turner Consulting
Group (TCG) of Washington, DC, will establish a web-based clearinghouse
for neuroimaging tools, vocabularies, and databases to facilitate
the dissemination of these resources and the discussion of needs
and limitations. It will initially focus on functional magnetic
resonance imaging, which can determine the different brain regions
that become active during specific motor or cognitive tasks.
“This clearinghouse will be an important and valuable tool for
the neuroimaging research community,” said National Institute of
Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) Director Roderic
I. Pettigrew, Ph.D., M.D. “It will ensure that neuroimaging informatics
tools and resources are well characterized, documented, and adoptable
by the extended research community.” NIBIB will manage this contract
on behalf of the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience consortium.
Using funds provided by the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research,
the clearinghouse contract will establish a web-based system that
will provide a home for new research tools and data sets for imaging
the brain and nervous system. In addition, this resource will provide
ongoing opportunities for public comment regarding particular neuroimaging
informatics tools and resources in order to guide development and
enhance their use by the neuroimaging research community.
The NIH Neuroscience Blueprint provides a framework for enhancing
cooperation among 15 NIH Institutes and Centers, with an emphasis
on supporting and making broadly available tools and resources
for the neuroscience research community. For more information,
visit http://neuroscienceblueprint.nih.gov.
The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
(NIBIB), a component of the National Institutes of Health, U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, is dedicated to improving
human health through the integration of the physical and biological
sciences. The research agenda of the NIBIB seeks to dramatically
advance the Nation’s health by improving the detection, management,
understanding, and ultimately, the prevention of disease. Additional
information and publications are available at www.nibib.nih.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's
Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and
Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting
and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research,
and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both
common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and
its programs, visit www.nih.gov. |