What if you could see every part of your body, right down to your genes and the tiny cells that make up your organs? Well, scientists are on track to make a directory known as the Human Cell Atlas.
Think of it like your car GPS, but instead it’s for the cells in your body and includes information on how they change over time. The new research, published across 40 studies, may answer major science mysteries, such as how bones form and how arthritis and Crohn’s disease develop.
Researchers have so far gathered information on more than 100 million cells from over 10,000 people, but they hope the final atlas will include billions of cells.
“This new level of insight into the specific genes, mechanisms and cell types within tissues is laying the groundwork for more precise diagnostics, innovative drug discovery and advanced regenerative medicine approaches,” said Prof Sarah Teichmann, founding co-chair of the Human Cell Atlas, who also works at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute.
Another breakthrough in the project involves the digestive system. By combining data from 1.6 million cells, researchers have created an intricate map of cells present in the gut, including their type, location and how they interact with the body. It’s the most thorough map of this kind ever built.
Researchers – whose work is published in Nature – isolated individual cells and used a combination of computer analysis and artificial intelligence (AI) to identify them. They also used this AI tool to search for cells within their directory.
Know how you can ‘reverse image search’ – upload an image into a search engine instead of words to look for information about it? Well, the researchers could use a similar process to help experts diagnose diseases.
Here’s the lowdown on two of the coolest images to come out of the studies:
This epic cluster of light and colour is a super-zoomed-in view of lung tissue in the body. Scientists have been studying the body’s response to COVID-19 since 2020, and the new papers shine a light on how the lungs react to the disease.
While this may look like an artistic interpretation of a beach created with glow in the dark paint, this is actually your small intestine. This organ is around seven metres (almost 23 feet) long and plays a key role in breaking down food.
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