KPMP Kidney Mapping and Atlas Project (KMAP)

University Of Michigan At Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

The overarching objective of the Kidney Mapping Atlas Project (KMAP) in the Kidney Precision Medicine Project (KPMP) is to create the Kidney Tissue Atlas (KTA) from biopsies of participants with acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). We plan to define more precise disease subgroups, while simultaneously enabling identification of critical cells, interstitial components, pathways, and targets for novel therapies. The interactive KTA will allow the wide spectrum of KPMP users encompassing the entire kidney community (including kidney disease researchers, clinicians, pathologists, students, and patients) to dynamically query relevant atlas features, ranging from raw data to spatial genomic data displays and curated maps. The KMAP will build out a scalable, flexible data management structure, embedded in ontologies, and utilizing data models with rich, structured data and metadata. To accomplish this goal, KMAP will deploy the highly dynamic, flexible, and extensible Vitessce framework as the main integrative KTA data visualization engine, with segmentation and registration of the multimodal KPMP datasets driven by the KMAP pathology team. During the 1st KPMP funding cycle, our Data Visualization Core team pioneered a team science strategy to accomplish the successful buildout of a suite of tools for an initial version of the KPMP Atlas, which have been shared with the wider kidney community. In this 2nd funding cycle, we have enhanced our team, now with greater domain expertise in digital pathology, renal anatomy, ontological knowledge, data curation, biostatistics, bioinformatics, kidney systems biology, data visualization, user experience design, website and software development, community outreach, and rigorous quality management. The KMAP team will extend the diverse suite of tools developed in KPMP to date, and support KMAP as the central data management, integration, and dissemination platform for the KPMP through the Knowledge Environment. Our focus for KMAP will be centered around the key values we established in the first funding cycle of a collaborative environment committed to promoting participant engagement, scientific rigor, quality control, and outreach to the global kidney community. Our approach is anchored in interdisciplinary team science, necessary to drive disruptive advances in kidney precision medicine. The guiding principle of the KTA team will continue to be an uncompromising commitment to rigorous Quality Analysis and Control and a dissemination framework strongly rooted in FAIR principles. We share a common philosophy that our role is one of service, collaboration, and leadership built over 30 years of experience coordinating highly successful large-scale research studies into the molecular mechanisms of kidney disease. We have a track record of supporting multidisciplinary research efforts across many knowledge domains. KMAP will be led by Drs. Kretzler (University of Michigan), and Himmelfarb (University of Washington). The PIs bring complementary expertise in leading clinical, translational and bench kidney precision medicine studies, to ensure a seamless integration of KMAP into the KPMP ecosystem.