TY - JOUR
T1 - SiteCELL enables on-site PBMCs purification and cryopreservation for immune single-cell profiling of underrepresented ancestries
AU - Espinosa-Jaime, Aarón
AU - Zambada-Moreno, Octavio
AU - Corona-Gómez, Jose Antonio
AU - de Jesús-Ortega, María
AU - Hernandez-Coronado, Marcela
AU - Santos Dias, Barbara Dos
AU - Diniz, Larissa Alvez
AU - Leaden, Laura
AU - Cebinelli, Guillherme Martelossi
AU - Marchese, Domenica
AU - Rojas-Hidalgo, Adolfo
AU - Vicencio, Emiliano
AU - Pérez-Stuardo, Diego
AU - Urquiza-Zurich, Sebastián
AU - Fajardo, Marisol Espitia
AU - Colombo, Alicia
AU - Donoso, Gerardo
AU - Méndez, Tamara
AU - Gallo, Carla
AU - Guerrero-Cázares, Hugo
AU - Robles-Espinoza, Carla Daniela
AU - Possik, Patricia A.
AU - Barreto, Guillermo
AU - Spangenberg, Lucía
AU - Verdugo, Ricardo A.
AU - Maracaja-Coutinho, Vinicius
AU - Severino, Patricia
AU - Moreno-Estrada, Andrés
AU - Ortiz-Ramírez, Carlos
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2026 The Authors
PY - 2026/6/19
Y1 - 2026/6/19
N2 - Population-level immune single-cell profiling has the potential to enable the association of cellular function with human ancestry, demographic, and environmental variables. However, methods for collecting and processing peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) for single-cell sequencing are difficult to implement in remote and rural settings, resulting in a lack of representation of underserved communities across the global south. We developed SiteCELL, a method that enables purification and cryopreservation of PBMCs from whole blood at the site of collection using minimal laboratory equipment and without electricity. By comparing matched samples of purified PBMCs, we showed that SiteCELL performs as well as ficoll density gradient (FDG), both in laboratory and rural settings. This method ensures accurate recovery of cell type proportions and excels in reducing stress and minimizing variability in sampling batches across countries. Hence, SiteCELL is ideal for multinational initiatives targeting the inclusion of underrepresented ancestries in cellular atlases.
AB - Population-level immune single-cell profiling has the potential to enable the association of cellular function with human ancestry, demographic, and environmental variables. However, methods for collecting and processing peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) for single-cell sequencing are difficult to implement in remote and rural settings, resulting in a lack of representation of underserved communities across the global south. We developed SiteCELL, a method that enables purification and cryopreservation of PBMCs from whole blood at the site of collection using minimal laboratory equipment and without electricity. By comparing matched samples of purified PBMCs, we showed that SiteCELL performs as well as ficoll density gradient (FDG), both in laboratory and rural settings. This method ensures accurate recovery of cell type proportions and excels in reducing stress and minimizing variability in sampling batches across countries. Hence, SiteCELL is ideal for multinational initiatives targeting the inclusion of underrepresented ancestries in cellular atlases.
KW - Genomics
KW - Immunological methods
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105039625078
U2 - 10.1016/j.isci.2026.115961
DO - 10.1016/j.isci.2026.115961
M3 - Artículo
AN - SCOPUS:105039625078
SN - 2589-0042
VL - 29
JO - iScience
JF - iScience
IS - 6
M1 - 115961
ER -