Scholarly publications and data set evidence for the Human Reference Atlas

Abstract

Abstract Experts from 17 consortia are collaborating on the Human Reference Atlas (HRA) which aims to map the human body at single cell resolution. To bridge across scales—from the meter size human body to the micrometer size single-cell level—organ experts are constructing anatomical structures, cell types plus biomarkers (ASCT+B) tables, and associated spatial reference objects. The 3rd HRA (v1.2) release features 26 organ-specific ASCT+B tables that cite 456 scholarly papers and are linked to 61 spatial reference objects and Organ Mapping Antibody Panels (OMAPs); it is authored by more than 120 experts. This paper presents the first analyses and visualizations showcasing what data and scholarly evidence exist for which organs and how experts relate to the organs covered in the HRA. To identify potential HRA authors and reviewers, we queried the Web of Science database for authors who work on the 33 organs targeted for the next HRA release (v1.3). To provide scientific evidence for the HRA, we identified 620 high-quality, single-cell experimental data sets for 58 organs published in 561 unique papers. The results presented are critical for understanding and communicating the quality of the HRA, planning for future tissue data collection, and inviting leading experts to contribute to the evolving atlas.