The Biodiversity Cell Atlas: mapping the tree of life at cellular resolution

Arnau Sebé-Pedrós (), Amos Tanay, Mara K. N. Lawniczak, Detlev Arendt, Stein Aerts, John Archibald, Maria Ina Arnone, Mark Blaxter, Phillip Cleves, Susana M. Coelho, Mafalda Dias, Casey Dunn, Anamaria Elek, Jonathan Frazer, Toni Gabaldón, Jesse Gillis, Xavier Grau-Bové, Roderic Guigó, Oliver Hobert, Jaime Huerta-Cepas, Manuel Irimia, Allon Klein, Harris Lewin, Christopher J. Lowe, Heather Marlow, Jacob M. Musser, László G. Nagy, Sebastián R. Najle, Lior Pachter, Sadye Paez, Irene Papatheodorou, Michael J. Passalacqua, Nikolaus Rajewsky, Seung Y. Rhee, Thomas A. Richards, Tatjana Sauka-Spengler, Lauren M. Saunders, Eve Seuntjens, Jordi Solana, Yuyao Song, Ulrich Technau and Bo Wang
Additional contact information
Arnau Sebé-Pedrós: Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST)
Amos Tanay: Weizmann Institute of Science
Mara K. N. Lawniczak: Wellcome Sanger Institute
Detlev Arendt: European Molecular Biology Laboratory
Stein Aerts: VIB Center for AI and Computational Biology
John Archibald: Dalhousie University
Maria Ina Arnone: Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn
Mark Blaxter: Wellcome Sanger Institute
Phillip Cleves: Carnegie Science
Susana M. Coelho: Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen
Mafalda Dias: Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST)
Casey Dunn: Yale University
Anamaria Elek: Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST)
Jonathan Frazer: Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST)
Toni Gabaldón: ICREA
Jesse Gillis: University of Toronto
Xavier Grau-Bové: Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST)
Roderic Guigó: Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST)
Oliver Hobert: Columbia University
Jaime Huerta-Cepas: Campus de Montegancedo-UPM
Manuel Irimia: Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST)
Allon Klein: Harvard Medical School
Harris Lewin: Arizona State University
Christopher J. Lowe: Stanford University
Heather Marlow: University of Chicago
Jacob M. Musser: Yale University
László G. Nagy: HUN-REN Biological Research Centre Szeged
Sebastián R. Najle: Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST)
Lior Pachter: California Institute of Technology
Sadye Paez: The Rockefeller University
Irene Papatheodorou: Norwich Research Park
Michael J. Passalacqua: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Nikolaus Rajewsky: Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine
Seung Y. Rhee: Michigan State University
Thomas A. Richards: University of Oxford
Tatjana Sauka-Spengler: Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Lauren M. Saunders: Heidelberg University
Eve Seuntjens: KU Leuven
Jordi Solana: University of Exeter
Yuyao Song: European Molecular Biology Laboratory—European Bioinformatics Institute
Ulrich Technau: University of Vienna
Bo Wang: Stanford University

Nature, 2025, vol. 645, issue 8082, 877-885

Abstract: Abstract Cell types are fundamental functional units that can be traced across the tree of life. Rapid advances in single-cell technologies, coupled with the phylogenetic expansion in genome sequencing, present opportunities for the molecular characterization of cells across a broad range of organisms. Despite these developments, our understanding of eukaryotic cell diversity remains limited and we are far from decoding this diversity from genome sequences. Here we introduce the Biodiversity Cell Atlas initiative, which aims to create comprehensive single-cell molecular atlases across the eukaryotic tree of life. This community effort will be phylogenetically informed, rely on high-quality genomes and use shared standards to facilitate comparisons across species. The Biodiversity Cell Atlas aspires to deepen our understanding of the evolution and diversity of life at the cellular level, encompassing gene regulatory programs, differentiation trajectories, cell-type-specific molecular profiles and inter-organismal interactions.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09312-4

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