Researchers from UMIB at ICBAS – UPorto, in collaboration with the Josep Carreras Institute, have achieved a significant breakthrough in microglia and neuroinflammation research in their study published in Nature Communications.
The team developed the Human Microglia Atlas (HuMicA), an integrated scRNA-seq resource mapping microglial profiles across six neurological conditions — Alzheimer’s disease, autism, epilepsy, COVID-19, Lewy Body Diseases, and Multiple Sclerosis— and healthy individuals. This open-access tool provides deeper insights into microglial biology and its role in neuroinflammation.
As the brain’s resident immune cells, microglia play a pivotal role in disease progression, yet their complexity remains poorly understood. HuMicA enables large-scale studies to dissect microglial subpopulations with greater specificity, moving beyond the conventional DAM (disease-associated microglia) signature to reveal previously unrecognized microglial states.
“HuMicA is a crucial step in understanding neuroinflammation and a tool for future discoveries,” the researchers stated.
This work highlights UMIB’s commitment to advancing brain health research and highlights the vital role of collaborations in driving scientific progress.
Read the full study here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56124-1