# Molecular Imaging Biomedical Resource Core

> **NIH NIH U54** · INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS · 2024 · $321,950

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract - Molecular Imaging Core
The overarching goal of the Molecular Imaging Core is to provide full-service assistance in the
interrogation and analysis of experimental animal and human-derived kidney tissue. This goal will be
accomplished through the conduct of the following specific aims: 1) Provide the renal research community with
three high impact services: Co-Detection by Indexing (CODEX), Large-scale 3D imaging and Tissue Cytometry
(3DTC), and spatial transcriptomics (ST) and 2) Provide analytic support to ensure the outputs of molecular
imaging are interpretable and integrated within and across technologies, and data outputs are consistent with
best practices and are harmonized with cell-type and state definitions used across the renal community. The
technologies can be offered individually to facilitate spatial anchoring of proteomic and transcriptomic signals,
or offered together on the same tissue specimen. An integrated output can be accomplished by direct co-
registration on consecutive sections or alignment in the analytical space. The analytical support provided will
allow investigators to test hypotheses and create a common framework for cell type and state annotation
across multiple NIDDK initiatives. Together, the technologies offered through the Molecular Imaging Core will
allow investigators to define, localize, and quantify: 1) all cell populations, 2) cell-cell interactions within 3D
neighborhoods, 3) morphological changes and injury regions, 4) the expression of 18,000 genes mapped over
histopathology, and 5) deep immune and injury phenotypes anchored spatially. Such outputs provide a unique
and powerful service to the renal community. The proposed research is significant, because it is expected to
aid the renal community in identifying critically needed biomarkers of disease progression, optimizing
preclinical studies, and developing specific and targeted therapeutic interventions for a wide range of kidney
diseases.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10915010
- **Project number:** 5U54DK137328-02
- **Recipient organization:** INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Tarek Maurice Ashkar
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $321,950
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-01 → 2028-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10915010

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10915010, Molecular Imaging Biomedical Resource Core (5U54DK137328-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10915010. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*