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A6126 - BREATH: An Open-Access Database of Normal Lung Development Generated by the Molecular Atlas of Lung Development Program (LungMAP)
Author Block: R. Clark1, N. C. Gaddis1, J. L. Levy1, M. Duparc1, H. Pan1, G. P. Page1, J. A. Whitsett2, S. M. Palmer3, the LungMAP Data Coordinating Center; 1RTI International, Durham, NC, United States, 2Childrens Hosp Med Ctr, Cincinnati, OH, United States, 3Duke Univ Med Ctr, Durham, NC, United States.
Rationale: The lung is a complex organ with high cellular heterogeneity, and research is needed to define the interactive gene networks and dynamic crosstalk among multiple cell types that coordinate normal lung development. Significant knowledge gaps exist in the understanding of lung development from late fetal to perinatal stages and through early childhood, a critical period when the diverse lung cells go through terminal differentiation and maturation and when alveoli form. Coordination of information from disparate assays and experimental approaches is critically needed to help the pulmonary research community uncover the molecular determinants of lung development. The goal of LungMAP is to build an open-access resource providing a comprehensive molecular atlas of late-stage lung development in humans and mice, making otherwise dispersed data, reagents, and protocols freely available to the research community. Methods: We have created the Bioinformatics REsource ATlas for the Healthy lung (BREATH) database, applying novel data management and bioinformatics approaches to manage high-throughput multidimensional experimental data. BREATH is built on a triplestore database backbone, integrated with anatomical ontologies for lung development, and provides access to novel web-based tools for the analysis and visualization of data generated by the four Research Centers and Human Tissue Core of the LungMAP Consortium. Results: The current version of BREATH contains confocal immunofluorescence images, in situ hybridization images, histological images, nano-DESI, and 3D Vibra-SSIM confocal and uCT images of developing mouse and human lungs at several time points, as well as single-cell RNAseq, multi-cell RNAseq, microRNA, MeDIP-seq, proteomic, lipidomic, and metabolomic data from mouse and human lung cells. Conclusions: The LungMAP website (www.lungmap.net) provides an entry portal to the BREATH database and tools for exploring and interacting with the lung images and omics data. Future versions of BREATH will incorporate additional data types and novel tools for cross-datatype analysis. A better understanding of the basic molecular pathways that regulate normal lung development will enable development of innovative therapies that advance treatment of lung injury repair and regeneration.