The Human Cell Atlas is establishing detailed knowledge of cell types and the dynamic biochemical states they go through as they develop, grow and divide. This is enabling researchers to find methods of diagnosing cancers early on.

The project is also contributing to a better understanding of tumours, including the varied cell types they contain. Interaction between cells within a tumour is shown to make some cancers resistant to drug treatments. Understanding how is key to achieving better outcomes for patients.

A massively collaborative scientific research project like the Human Cell Atlas requires thousands of scientists and labs from all over the world to be able to access, share and process data. The project provides multiple ways of uploading data, with different approaches for specific types, such RNA sequence data and image data. All data is publicly accessible and can be computed upon in the cloud or downloaded to carry out processing and analysis, producing derived, secondary data. Secondary data and meta data about experiments is also stored in accessible forms in the cloud.

Scientists have collected data to establish partial cell atlases for many organisms that are less complex than humans, including the fruit fly and mouse. It turns out that many cell types and processes are identical across species. Comparing data in the Human Cell Atlas with data from other species can tell us much about human evolution.

The Human Cell Atlas project offers massive benefits to society in understanding our bodies and treating disease. The project is based on data from experiments on cells throughout the human lifecycle. The Human Cell Atlas project provides extensive advice to help researchers plan and run their projects in an ethical and legal fashion.