Human Gonad Developmental Cell Atlas

Description

The ultimate goal of the EU-funded HUGODECA project is to describe cellular organisation and the development of human gonads for better understanding of the mechanisms that trigger differentiation and divergence during sex determination into testes in males and ovaries in females. The project consortium involves leading academic and industrial experts from five EU countries, including active contributors and executives of the Human Cell Atlas initiative. The research will implement novel tools and analytical and computational methods, including single-cell profiling, spatial transcriptomics, 2D mass cytometry and cyclic immunofluorescence, and 3D imaging of optically cleared gonads to process and integrate data across different platforms. The project will be focused on the development of healthy gonadal development in ex vivo culture models and will assess consequences of altering key signalling pathways mimicking disorders of sex development.