The first complete cell-by-cell map of the entire developing human body has been created.

April 1, 2026

Original Paper

An integrated single cell and spatial omics atlas of human prenatal development

Webb, S.; Rose, A.; Xu, C.; Steele, L.; Kuri, M. A.; Stephenson, E.; Inecik, K.; Jafree, D.; Foster, A. R.; Basurto-Lozada, D.; Chipampe, N.-J.; Pournara, A. V.; Jacques, M.-A.; To, K.; Admane, C.; Kritikaki, E.; Chroscik, M. A.; Horsfall, D.; Foreman, J.; Rademaker, K.; Karjalainen, J.; Laddach, A.; Madad, S.; Lawrence, J. E. G.; Kleshchevnikov, V.; Lisgo, S.; Lee, J. T. H.; Blevinal, J.; Alqahtani, A.; Makarchuk, S.; Jackson, J.; Ucuncu, E.; Silva, T. P.; Lorenzi, V.; Torabi, F.; Botting, R. A.; Roberts, K.; Olabi, B.; Chakala, K. P.; Dony, L.; Dall'Aglio, G.; Cujba, A.-M.; Whitfield, H. J.;

bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.03.30.714220

The Takeaway

This massive project integrated 4.6 million cells to create a Google Maps-style resource of the human embryo. It identifies 114 specific 'neighborhoods' where cells talk to each other to build organs, providing the first-ever look at how the body organizes itself from a single cell into a complex organism.

From the abstract

Single cell genomics has enabled analysis of human prenatal development at unprecedented resolution. However, most studies have relied on dissociated tissues during restricted windows of development, limiting insights into how spatially distributed networks of cells, and multicellular niches emerge and adapt to distinct organ microenvironments in situ. Moreover, existing human developmental atlases have not yet been harmonised, and we thus lack a comprehensive catalogue of known cell types in th

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