Work Plan
In order to lay the foundations of the first "Organoid Cell Atlas" the HCA|Organoid research team is pursuing following aims:
- 1. Establish a comprehensive and sharable organoid resource including single-cell sequencing and single-cell imaging datasets for organoids
Organoid resource
The first version of the " Organoid Cell Atlas" will establish a reference collection of high-quality human organoids for at least two organs, including colon (100 individuals) and brain (100 individuals). Single-cell data of the organoids will be complemented by whole-genome data and single-cell data of the matching primary tissue of organoids derived from surgical samples.
Single-cell sequencing
Single-cell sequencing data will provide deep characterization of organoid heterogeneity within and between individuals, and they will establish a basis for integrative analysis with the single-cell imaging data and a reference for disease-centric research within and beyond the HCA|Organoid project.
Single-cell imaging of organoids
The HCA|Organoid project will establish comprehensive spatial and temporal maps of organoid development and homeostasis using single-cell imaging for a large number of primary tissue derived organoids (colon: 100 individuals) and iPS-derived organoids (brain: 100 individuals). These data will be analyzed together with the single-cell sequencing data as part of the integrative data analysis.
- 2. Perform integrative data analysis of the single-cell sequencing, single-cell imaging, and whole-genome sequencing data
The HCA|Organoid project will perform state-of-the art processing, quality control, and integrative analysis of the single-cell sequencing as well as single-cell imaging data, taking into account the underlying whole-genome profiles. Ultimately, HCA|Organoid will deliver a fully integrated data resource of aligned single-cell datasets, allowing researchers to match and annotate cells from primary tissue data with organoid data and vice versa.
- 3. Demonstrate and validate the value of the organoid platform for disease-centric research
To demonstrate and validate the value of the multi-tissue organoid platform for future disease-centric, mechanistic, and translational research, focused biomedical proof-of-concept studies will be pursued.
- 4. Integrate with the HCA infrastructure and community
The HCA|Organoid project will be closely aligned with the HCA, in terms of the computational infrastructure and data management, but also in terms of shared values and a strong commitment to achieving major impact for human health.
- 5. Implement a sustainable infrastructure for data sharing and to facilitate future HCA|Organoid research
The HCA|Organoid is committed to generate an openly available and deeply characterized collection of organoid single-cell sequencing and single-cell imaging datasets. An HCA|Organoid data portal is generated for easy, interactive access to organoid data within the HCA. This infrastructure shall facilitate future HCA|Organoid research, including the extension to additional organs, and leveraging biomedical applications for single-cell and organoid technology.