科学家Deanne Taylor发现了Human Cell Atlas项目的一个重大空白——该项目初始计划仅涵盖成人研究[1]。Taylor随后推动建立专门针对儿童的细胞图谱。2021年，美国国家卫生研究院向发育基因型-组织表达项目(dGTEx)授予3850万美元资助[1]，用于建立首个全面的健康儿童组织数据库，系统映射儿童各主要器官系统的基因表达方式[1]。
dGTEx项目收集的数据填补了重要的科学认知空白。由于儿童细胞的基因表达方式与成人细胞存在显著差异[1]，相同药物在儿童和成人身上可能产生不同的效应[1]。该项目数据将最终纳入Human Cell Atlas的儿童部分[1]，为理解儿童正常发育、疾病机制以及药物有效性提供关键的基线信息[1]。Taylor于2014年加入费城儿童医院担任生物信息学主任[1]，2019年她与合作者发表论文呼吁开展儿童相关研究[1]。
Researcher Deanne Taylor identified a critical gap in the Human Cell Atlas project: the absence of childhood data.[1] When the initiative launched in 2017, it focused exclusively on adult organisms, leaving pediatric biology unmapped.[1] Recognizing this shortcoming, Taylor championed the creation of a dedicated children's component to the atlas.
In 2021, the National Institutes of Health awarded $38.5 million to the Developmental Genotype-Tissue Expression (dGTEx) project to establish the first comprehensive database of gene expression across major organ systems in healthy children.[1] This initiative addresses a fundamental scientific need: gene expression patterns in children differ significantly from those in adults, potentially leading to different responses to the same medications.[1] The dGTEx project's data will ultimately be integrated into the children's section of the Human Cell Atlas, providing a baseline for understanding normal childhood development, disease mechanisms, and drug efficacy in pediatric populations.[1]
Taylor, who joined the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in 2014 as director of bioinformatics, collaborated with colleagues to publish research in 2019 advocating for such pediatric studies.[1] The Human Cell Atlas now includes a dedicated children's component, marking a significant step toward addressing a long-standing gap in developmental biology research.
