Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre (SGBC)

What Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre (SGBC) does

Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre (SGBC) is a multidisciplinary research centre within the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), Chennai, inaugurated in March 2022. It operates a world-class, high-throughput, multimodal whole-brain histology-imaging-compute pipeline designed to digitize and study human brains at cellular resolution and unprecedented scale. Its stack combines wet-lab hardware (custom large-format coverslippers, autostainers, slot die coaters, UV curing stations, brain freezing platform, automated tissue transfer, and 0.5 micron/pixel whole slide scanners co-developed with an indigenous vendor) with a computational toolchain (Zero Footprint Viewer, Atlas Creator, Cell Annotation Tool, 3D Visualizer, Image Registration, Series Viewer) and AI/ML models (PosDiffAE, SMatt-DINO, Ano-swinMAE, AutoDPS). The flagship data asset is DHARANI: A 3D Developing Human-Brain Atlas Resource, released in 2025 and published in the Journal of Comparative Neurology as the first cellular atlas and largest digital data resource from the 2nd-trimester fetal brain, containing 5,132 digitally captured sections.

SGBC does not sell commercial products or operate a commercial pricing model. It is funded through institutional support from IIT Madras and government research grants, and its outputs (data atlases, software tools, peer-reviewed publications) are distributed primarily through open access portals (brainportal.humanbrain.in), peer-reviewed journals, and international conference presentations. The go-to-market is community-led: publishing, hosting international symposiums (notably the III BRICS Neuroscience Symposium in June 2026), and collaborating with national medical institutions (NIMHANS Bengaluru, Christian Medical College Vellore, Saveetha Medical College, MediScan) and international research institutions (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Purdue University, University of Melbourne, Monash University, Deakin University). Its customer base is therefore the global academic and medical research community, served through open data and scientific collaboration rather than paid contracts.

The centre is led by Senior Project Advisor Dr. Jaikishan Jayakumar and Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Richa Verma, with five Chair Professors providing expertise spanning biomathematics, electrical and computer engineering, and computational neuroscience. Headcount stands at ~56 across nine functional teams, anchored within the institutional governance of IIT Madras rather than under independent ownership or venture capital backing.

Name

Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre (SGBC)

Legal name

Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre

Website

https://iitm.humanbrain.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

SGBC is an IIT Madras research centre operating a high-throughput multimodal whole-brain histology-imaging-compute pipeline to digitize human brains at cellular resolution. It serves the global neuroscience community via the open-access DHARANI atlas, AI-powered annotation tools, and peer-reviewed publications, funded through institutional and government grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Neuroscience Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

akta.pro primary industry

Real-World Data (RWD) / Real-World Evidence (RWE) & Observational Research Platforms (HLACAOAM)

Keywords

• Whole brain histology
• Neuroscience research
• Brain atlas development
• Histological imaging pipeline
• Digital neuroanatomy

Headquarters

HQ city

Chennai

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Government Funding: Core operations funded through research grants and institutional funding from government bodies including IIT Madras and national science agencies

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SGBC runs a world-class, high-throughput multimodal whole-brain histology-imaging-compute pipeline that digitizes human brains at unprecedented sub-micron resolution and scale. Its primary public deliverable is DHARANI, an open-access 3D atlas resource of the developing human brain, produced via custom-built automated histology instruments and AI/ML-driven image analysis software. The centre offers this pipeline, atlas, and supporting tools to the global neuroscience and medical research community.

Product overview

Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre operates a unified multimodal whole-brain histology-imaging-compute pipeline for digitizing and studying human brains at unprecedented high-resolution and scale. The product portfolio comprises three integrated layers: (1) Wet lab and imaging hardware platforms including whole-slide scanners, brain tissue freezing systems, automated tissue transfer, block face imaging, UV curing, large-format autostaining, and coverslipping systems; (2) Computational software tools including the Zero Foot Print Viewer for high-resolution image viewing, Atlas Creator for brain region annotation, Cell Annotation Tool for pixel-level cell marking, 3D Visualizer for volumetric reconstruction, Image Registration for multimodal alignment, and Series Viewer for large image set analysis; and (3) The flagship DHARANI 3D Developing Human-Brain Atlas Resource, which integrates all imaging modalities and histology data into a searchable, annotatable atlas for neuroscience research. The pipeline processes fetal and adult human brains using Nissl staining and Myelin Silver impregnation techniques.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DHARANI: A 3D Developing Human-brain Atlas Resource to Advance Neuroscience Internationally - an integrated multimodal imaging and high-resolution histology resource for the second trimester fetal brain.

Products and services

• DHARANI — 3D Developing Human-Brain Atlas Resource
• Whole-Brain Histology-Imaging-Compute Pipeline (Research Service)

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability10 records

Feature17 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cold Spring Harbor LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf Partha Mitra serves as Chair Professor from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, USA, providing expertise in biomathematics and computational neuroscience for brain research initiatives.
• Purdue UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf Anand Raghunathan from Purdue University's Electrical and Computer Engineering department collaborates on brain imaging and computational research.
• NIMHANS BengalurucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, provides clinical neuroscience expertise. Prof Anita Mahadevan represents the collaboration.
• Christian Medical College VellorecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf George Varghese from CMC Vellore contributes medical and clinical expertise for brain research studies and tissue processing.
• Saveetha Medical CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf Kumudha J and Prof Chitra S collaborate on medical research and histology protocols.
• MediScancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr S. Suresh and Dr S. Lata from MediScan provide ultrasound and imaging expertise for the collaborative research efforts.
• University of MelbournecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr Jaikishan Jayakumar completed PhD in Vision Science (2005) and postdoctoral training. Dr Richa Verma completed PhD in retinal electrophysiology. Training and research collaboration in visual neuroscience.
• Monash UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr Richa Verma completed postdoctoral training at Department of Physiology, investigating plasticity of visual system in non-human primates.
• L. V. Prasad Eye InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on curriculum design and problem-based learning initiatives alongside Teaching Learning Center, IITM.
• Indigenous Technology Company (Whole Slide Scanner Development)coreTechnology or IntegrationCustom whole slide scanners developed in collaboration with an indigenous company for digitizing multi-format slides at 0.5 μm/pixel resolution.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Allen Institute for Brain Science: Major non-profit running large-scale brain-mapping initiatives (Allen Brain Atlas), producing cellular-resolution histology and open data for the global neuroscience community, with a similarly open-access publishing model. Most directly comparable in mission and scale.
• Janelia Research Campus (HHMI): HHMI's research campus building bespoke imaging, computational tools, and tissue-processing platforms for neuroscience — overlapping with SGBC's custom-built multimodal histology-imaging-compute pipeline approach.
• EBRAINS (Human Brain Project): European research infrastructure providing shared brain atlas data and computational neuroscience tools, similarly distributing multimodal brain data and analysis tools to global researchers.

Broad incumbents

• McGovern Institute for Brain Research (MIT): University-affiliated brain research institute combining neuroscience, engineering, and AI for brain mapping — comparable multidisciplinary approach linking engineering and neuroscience, though broader in research scope.
• Max Planck Institute for Brain Research: Long-established neuroscience research institute with broader basic-research mission including cellular anatomy of the brain, comparable institutional scale and grant-funded research operation.

Emerging players

• Human Cell Atlas: International consortium mapping cell types across human tissues using high-throughput molecular and imaging pipelines; comparable in scope/ambition but broader than brain-specific and oriented to single-cell genomics over histology.
• Blue Brain Project (EPFL): EPFL-led effort building digital reconstructions and atlases of rodent and human brain circuitry with heavy computational modeling — overlaps in atlas-as-public-resource model but focused on simulation rather than histological digitization.

Others

• 10x Genomics: Commercial provider of spatial transcriptomics and tissue-imaging platforms (Visium, Xenium); adjacent ecosystem participant whose tissue-processing and imaging tools overlap with SGBC's histology workflow, though commercial rather than research-oriented.
• Aperio (Leica Biosystems): Provider of digital pathology whole-slide scanners and image-management software widely used in research histopathology; closest commercial analog to SGBC's custom whole-slide scanning platform though serving general pathology rather than brain-specific use cases.

Regional players

• Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging: UK-based imaging research center focused on human brain function and structure; comparable in developing and sharing imaging pipelines for the global research community, though MRI-centric rather than histology-centric.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sudhagopalakrishnanbraincentre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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