We are now very close to making world's first atlas of human cells

To date, more than 3,600 HCA members from over 100 countries have collaborated to profile over 100 million cells from more than 10,000 individuals.

In Short

• The collection also includes novel maps of human tissues during development
• The consortium has also developed new ethical guidance
• The new collection of papers also includes novel maps of human tissues

The International Human Cell Atlas (HCA) consortium has made significant strides in mapping the human body at the cellular level, as evidenced by a newly published collection of over 40 peer-reviewed papers in Nature and other Nature Portfolio journals.

This landmark release, announced on November 20, showcases the consortium's progress in understanding human cells in both health and disease states.

The collection highlights large-scale datasets, artificial intelligence algorithms, and biomedical discoveries that are revolutionising our comprehension of human biology.

Studies range from revealing the formation of the placenta and skeleton to investigating brain maturation, identifying new gut and vascular cell states, and examining lung responses to COVID-19.

To date, more than 3,600 HCA members from over 100 countries have collaborated to profile over 100 million cells from more than 10,000 individuals.

The consortium is currently working on assembling a first draft of the Human Cell Atlas, which is expected to eventually include billions of cells across all organs and tissues.

Professor Sarah Teichmann, founding co-Chair of the HCA, likened the project to creating a "Google Maps for cell biology," establishing a benchmark for detecting and understanding changes underlying health and disease.

Dr. Aviv Regev, also a founding co-Chair, emphasized that this collection marks a pivotal moment for the HCA community as it moves towards achieving the first draft of the atlas.

The studies in the collection provide detailed analyses of specific tissues and organs, revealing new biological insights crucial for understanding diseases.

For instance, a cell atlas of the human gut identified a cell type potentially involved in gut inflammation, offering valuable resources for investigating conditions like ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.

The collection also includes novel maps of human tissues during development, such as the first map of human skeletal development and a multi-omic atlas of the first trimester placenta. These developmental biology studies increase our fundamental understanding of healthy development and provide blueprints for creating therapeutics.

Importantly, the HCA emphasises the inclusion of samples from historically underrepresented human populations, promoting equitable science. The consortium has also developed new ethical guidance on various issues in genomic science.

The collection introduces new AI methods to better understand and classify cell types, including tools like SCimilarity, which enables researchers to compare single-cell datasets across different tissues and contexts.