I had the pleasure of joining the IAB meeting of the HOAHub at the ESRF – The European Synchrotron in Grenoble together with Daniël Docter and Veerle Michels. It was perfectly combined with the ESRF User Meeting; an inspiring few days filled with science, collaboration, and a shared ambition to truly look inside the human body at unprecedented resolution.

The Human Organ Atlas Hub aims to create a high-resolution, open-access 3D atlas of the human body using advanced synchrotron imaging. By scanning short post-mortem interval human organs and tissues, we are building a reference framework that bridges basic science and clinical practice.

I am proud to be the only PI from the Netherlands involved in this fantastic initiative, representing Amsterdam UMC and contributing our expertise in 3D imaging and human (developmental) anatomy.

We are increasingly focusing on nano-resolution imaging, enabling visualization of microvascular architecture, tissue organization, and cellular structures in intact human organs. The impact for both researchers and clinicians is enormous.

📊 Already more than 300 datasets are openly available via: https://human-organ-atlas.esrf.fr/

For scientists and clinicians with a strong research question: the next HOAHub deadline for beamtime proposals is 20 March. More information: https://mecheng.ucl.ac.uk/HOAHub/

If you are interested in collaborating or exploring the possibilities, feel free to reach out. Science advances when we share. Let’s build the Human Organ Atlas together.

-dr. Bernadette de Bakker