Global Consortium Launches Open-Access "Human Organ Atlas" Portal, Allowing Micron-Resolution 3D "Fly-Throughs" of Intact Human Anatomy

An international team launches the Human Organ Atlas, a 3D portal allowing near-cellular exploration of intact human organs for research, AI, and education.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 13, 2026, 6:46 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from European Synchrotron Radiation Facility

Bridging the Century-Old Gap in Medical Imaging

For over a hundred years, medicine has relied on two distinct scales: radiology (whole-body imaging) and histology (microscopic tissue slices). The launch of the Human Organ Atlas (HOA), published in Science Advances, effectively merges these fields. Using the European Synchrotron’s Extremely Brilliant Source (EBS), researchers can now scan an entire intact human organ and zoom in to a resolution of less than one micron—50 times thinner than a human hair. This "Google Earth" for the body allows users to transition from a view of the whole organ to individual cells without destroying the tissue, marking a major leap in biomedical engineering.

HiP-CT: The Power of Synchrotron Technology

The engine behind the Atlas is Hierarchical Phase-Contrast Tomography (HiP-CT). This advanced imaging method utilizes X-rays that are 100 billion times brighter than a conventional hospital CT scanner. Developed at the ESRF in Grenoble, France, by a team led by Professor Peter Lee of UCL, the technology was initially fast-tracked during the COVID-19 pandemic to investigate lung injury. The resulting HOA portal is now available in an expanded form, allowing anyone with a web browser to interactively "fly through" high-resolution datasets of the brain, heart, lungs, and liver at human-organ-atlas.esrf.eu.

Clinical Insights: From COVID-19 to Gender Disparities

The Human Organ Atlas has already proven its clinical worth by revealing microscopic vascular damage in COVID-19 fatalities and reshaping the understanding of cardiac pathways. Recent applications have focused on gynecological disorders, where virtual 3D histology is being used to close gender-based research gaps. Professor Judith Huirne of Amsterdam UMC noted that these insights into the pathogenesis of uterine and pelvic disorders are crucial for developing more effective treatments. The Atlas hub now includes 56 organs from 25 donors, covering 11 different organ types including the brain, spleen, and placenta.