A new tool developed by a WEHI team brings together a huge amount of information about cells to help scientists understand how our bodies work, both when we’re healthy and when we’re sick.

The “CuratedAtlasQueryR” software allows researchers to search a database of 28 million cells across 40 tissues to find the perfect cell type for their research.

The tool makes it easier and faster to study diseases like COVID-19, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease and cancer by eliminating the need for manual data organisation and clean-up.

It’s the first software to combine this many cells in one easy-to-use database that allows scientists to quickly compare cells from different body parts and types of diseases.

Led by Dr Stefano Mangiola with Michael Milton and Dr Julie Iskander from WEHI’s Research Computing team, the project was funded by the Silicon Valley Technology Foundation, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Victorian Cancer Agency, National Human Genome Research Institute (National Institutes of Health), the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Lorenzo and Pamela Galli Medical Research Trust.

The project also collaborated with the Australian Research Data Commons Nectar Research Cloud.