Immune Cell Atlas of Indigenous South American Populations

To build a representative atlas of cells, the Human Cell Atlas must take special care to include samples from donors of historically excluded and exploited ancestries. With community engagement and ethical partnership in mind, this network aims to fill this gap by generating the first comprehensive single-cell resolution atlases of gene expression and epigenetic variation in immune cells from Indigenous South American populations, before and after immune activation. Researchers will conduct community engagement activities in Chile, Brazil and Peru, including workshops and events and sharing research findings with communities. These findings will help inform future research and eventually treatment of diseases affecting Indigenous populations.