Human Cell Atlas Marks 10-Year Milestone, Prepares for Disease Focus

The International Human Cell Atlas Consortium (HCA) is hosting a high-profile meeting in Boston this week, commemorating its tenth anniversary. The event features panels with prominent academics and biotech industry leaders, including Aviv Regev from Genentech, David Altshuler of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and Eric Lander from the Broad Institute. Hundreds of scientists from across the globe are anticipated to attend.

The HCA project's overarching goal is to construct a comprehensive reference map detailing all the various cell types that constitute the human body. The consortium anticipates delivering a first draft later this year, which will encompass single-cell atlases across all major organs and tissues. This achievement is expected to enhance researchers' understanding of human physiological functions.

Initially, the HCA focused on developing a reference of healthy cells and their gene expression profiles. Its subsequent phase will shift towards investigating disease, which will involve accumulating knowledge about the precise location of particular cells, their adjacent cells, and their communication networks. This area of study is a rapidly evolving field known as spatial biology.

This expansion occurs amidst a landscape rich with new technological options from companies such as Vizgen, Bruker, Illumina, Takara Bio, Bio-Techne, and 10x Genomics. 10x Genomics, a Bay Area company, provided the single-cell RNA sequencing technology that was a cornerstone of the HCA's first phase. Scientists participating in this next phase will face decisions regarding which commercially available solutions to utilize.

According to STAT News, a leader's ties to 10x Genomics have raised conflict-of-interest questions.