CuratedAtlasQueryR: a query API for the CELLxGENE human cell atlas enables defining a body map of immune composition through ageing

Author(s): Stefano Mangiola

Affiliation(s): WEHI

Social media: https://twitter.com/steman_research

The Human Cell Atlas, a large-scale single-cell sequencing initiative, has the potential to revolutionise our understanding of human cellular biology and the immune system. Data harmonisation, curation and effective data query are essential to extract knowledge from these complex atlases. Here, we present a harmonised and curated version of the CELLxGENE human cell atlas. To facilitate access to this atlas, we have developed CuratedAtlasQuery, a cell-resolved query system that allows researchers to select cells based on their type, tissue of origin, and demographics. This API allowed us to track the body's immune composition through ageing. Our analysis, which includes 28 million cells from 2744 samples across 30 human tissues, was performed using an extended multilevel version of sccomp. Our findings reveal patterns of progressive tissue-specific inflammation during human development and provide a comprehensive immune system profile throughout the human life cycle. In addition, we identify significant differences in immune composition among ethnicities. These results have important implications for our understanding of disease and highlight the need for diversity in scientific research. Our curated atlas and query system will benefit the community in investigating human cell biology and disease.