An Ancestrally Inclusive Atlas of Healthy Musculoskeletal Tissues

The musculoskeletal system accounts for over one-third of adult body mass and is essential for locomotion, fine motor control and independence. Given the ubiquity of musculoskeletal tissue, musculoskeletal disease and traumatic injury are a leading global cause of years lived with significant disability, with low-income countries experiencing a disproportionate increase in disease burden.

A cellular ‘road-map’ of ancestrally inclusive healthy musculoskeletal tissues will provide fundamental metrics to define the diverse tissues of the musculoskeletal system. This generational resource will pave the way for a cellular evaluation of therapeutic strategies and, when combined with future musculoskeletal disease datasets, accelerate our understanding of disease pathogenesis and revolutionize novel therapeutics. Atlas generation will be accompanied by development of training and resources for continued mapping of musculoskeletal tissues by global teams and local communities that have been historically excluded from participating in and benefiting from in biomedical science.