HCA Integrated Retina Atlas
The HCA Eye Biological Network has created a comprehensive integrated reference cell atlas of the human retina.
Combining single-cell and single nucleotide RNA datasets from 122 donors, members of the HCA Eye Biological Network have generated an integrated HCA Human Retina Cell Atlas. This HCA Atlas of the retina is now available on the HCA Data Portal.
The Retina is the light-sensing part of the eye, which is made up of neurons and converts the light signal into an electric signal that is relayed to the brain. With more than 400 million people worldwide suffering from visual disorders, understanding the eye is vital to help treat these disorders.
The HCA Human Retina Cell Atlas is the first of several atlases that the Eye Biological Network is working on. Composed of 3.4 million single cells, the Retina Cell Atlas reveals more than 120 cell types in the human retina, nearly doubling the number reported in previous studies. This lays the foundation for further research in understanding retina biology and diseases.
Coordinated by Rui Chen and Ayellet Segrè, the HCA Eye Biological Network is already starting to assemble further atlases, including the RPE/Choroid, Trabecular meshwork, Ciliary body, Iris, Lens, Optic Nerve, and Ocular surface structures, to create a complete Atlas of the eye.
The Human Cell Atlas has 18 Biological Networks, which are mapping cells and creating integrated HCA Atlases of specific individual organs, tissues or systems. These individual Atlases will collectively form the first draft Human Cell Atlas, which will be a major scientific milestone.
For further information, please visit the Eye Biological Network at the HCA Data Portal.