A major UK project will create an Atlas of human cells, it was announced today.
The project will “transform” biological research and medicine, according to Wellcome, which is pumping £7 million into the project.
The project will include a “pilot atlas” of developing human tissues and a highly-detailed atlas of the skin, Wellcome said.
Part of the aim is to compare the properties of cells and tissues at different stages of life. Scientists expect this to give new insights into cancers which exploit development pathways.
Scientists in London, Cambridge, Oxford, Newcastle and the European Bioinformatics Institute will all take part in the project.
Dr Sarah Teichmann, Head of Cellular Genetics at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, said: “The Human Cell Atlas will transform our understanding of human health and disease, and we are excited to be able to embark on the next stage of this important project.
“The new funding will bring together scientists from a huge variety of disciplines across the UK to enable the collection of data from millions of cells and drive progress towards this ambitious goal.”
Dr Michael Dunn, from Wellcome, said: “We are really excited to be part of this huge global effort that will have such important implications for medicine and health.”
Leave a Reply