Biophysics in Africa: SYNAPSE: a borderless scientific effort connecting global synchrotron resources to map animal brains

In response to the growing global demand for comprehensive connectome mapping, the SYNAPSE consortium was inaugurated in Singapore on January 15, 2020. It has since expanded beyond the Asia-Pacific region, with new members from Thailand, Jordan, and Poland sharing access to calibrated synchrotron microtomography beamlines across more than 10 synchrotron facilities. This approach is rooted in the unique scientific culture that has evolved over a century within large research infrastructures with proven history of advancing scientific frontiers. It has also enabled us to collaboratively define and pursue scientific objectives of global significance. In our case, the mission is to create a sub-micrometer resolution, 3D connectome of the human brain, mapping all major and stable neural connections. A single human brain dataset at (0.3 μm)³ resolution exceeds 1 exabyte, and hundreds of such datasets are needed to complete the connectome. This database will eventually include other animal brains, whole-body neural circuits, and data from additional 3D imaging techniques making the whole task even more challenging. I will introduce the consortium, the technical roadmap in imaging and computation, and achievements to demonstrate the success of our borderless, collaborative approach. With the power of synchrotron resources and our determination, we believe mapping the connectome is not only feasible but achievable within the next decade.