The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) has announced $28 million in grants for new Ancestry Networks for the Human Cell Atlas, supporting the inclusion of data from tissue samples from ancestrally diverse donors.

The 16 teams of researchers—including single-cell biologists, tissue experts, computational biologists, and community-engaged researchers—represent 31 different countries. These new projects will provide insights into how genetic ancestry influences health and disease at the level of our cells, resulting in a scientific resource that will be more representative of the diversity found in the global human population.

Norbert Tavares, CZI Program Manager for Single-Cell Biology, said: “To create effective treatments and cures for all people, the biomedical community must work to increase representation in scientific research. About 80 percent of current genomic data is from people of European ancestry, which has to change. The Ancestry Networks for the Human Cell Atlas will bring a much-needed perspective to single-cell research and provide key insights into how ancestry impacts healthy and disease states and has the potential to inform the path to treatments.”

For more information on the grants, visit the CZI Ancestry Networks for the Human Cell Atlas website.