# The Bone Marrow Multi-modal Imaging Core

> **NIH NIH U54** · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $1,035,589

## Abstract

Project Summary - Organ Specific Project
 Bone marrow produces blood cells whose functions range from oxygen delivery to anti-microbial defense to
hemostasis, all originating from hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). To sustain and regulate this branched
maturation process, bone marrow stromal cells form multiple niche microenvironments, each tailored to the
needs of a particular developing blood cell population. The Organ Specific Project (OSP) aims to systematically
and quantitatively dissect the cellular composition and spatial organization of human bone marrow
microenvironments using highly-multiplexed imaging technologies. The resulting detailed maps will serve as an
open and global platform for understanding which cells and interactions are critical for each branch of
hematopoietic maturation.
 Complementing prior HuBMAP projects, this OSP will compare patient-matched bone marrow from multiple
anatomical sites and examine effects of age, gender, and race. Samples will be collected by three different
strategies, each with a different investigational focus: (1) prospective collection of marrow from 6 deceased
donors at vertebra, rib, and sternum to examine differences between the 3 anatomical sites, (2) prospective
collection from 16 hip arthroplasty femoral head specimens for differences between age ranges, (3) 80
diagnostically normal iliac crest bone marrow samples from the Stanford Pathology archive for differences
between races and genders. Once collected, we will process samples through existing clinically-validated pre-
analytical processing pipelines to maximize compatibility with current and future assays.
 We will define cellular identities and cell states at the transcriptional, translational, and post-translational
levels using Nanostring DSP, Multiplexed Ion Beam Imaging (MIBI), and MALDI-MSI, which generate
quantitative spatial maps of RNA, protein, and N-glycans, respectively. Our study team includes the inventors of
MIBI, a pioneer in MALDI-MSI, inventors of tissue image processing algorithms, experts in human HSCs and
hematopoiesis, and a practicing hematopathologist who routinely diagnoses human bone marrow. Integrating
these data together, we will quantitatively and systematically identify bone marrow niche microenvironments by
their patterns of cellular composition and architectural organization.
 Comparing microarchitectures across our three cohorts will elucidate the effects of anatomical site, age, race,
and gender. Understanding which hematopoietic and stromal cells are lost through age, in what order, at which
sites, and within which microenvironments will provide insight into human aging and its relationship to
metabolism and DNA damage. Differences between sexes likely reveal the influence of androgen and hormone
signaling. Variations between races may reflect evolutionary forces such as infectious diseases. These insights
can then be leveraged to diagnose and dissect disease states and engineer new cellular therapies.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10531007
- **Project number:** 1U54HL165445-01
- **Recipient organization:** STANFORD UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Sean Curtis Bendall
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $1,035,589
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-08-01 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10531007

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10531007, The Bone Marrow Multi-modal Imaging Core (1U54HL165445-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10531007. Licensed CC0.

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