To create comprehensive reference maps of all human cells—the fundamental units of life—as a basis for both understanding human health and diagnosing, monitoring, and treating disease.
The Human Cell Atlas initiative is committed to providing a broad benefit to the wider human communities to which we belong – including explaining our science to those who might not be deeply familiar with our fields, but are nonetheless interested in the work we do. We believe the work of the HCA is immensely beneficial to all of humanity, further information can be read here.
Below, you can find press coverage, lectures, and explainers aimed at a general audience. Please feel free to send us your questions here, and we will answer the most frequent ones in our FAQ.
One Cell At A Time is an ambitious programme of public engagement activities with the Human Cell Atlas (HCA) initiative. During 2020 and 2021, the programme has brought together arts and communities, patients and researchers to explore the biological and cellular make-up of the human body.
The programme has aimed to show how Human Cell Atlas research could impact how we think about the human body and identify areas where HCA could meet a need, and also aspired to deepen the trust that the public has in scientific research.
This engagement has resulted in a range of artworks that respond to the scientific research of the Human Cell Atlas and the communities that enable that work to happen. These artworks are featured in the virtual One Cell At A Time exhibition.