SiteCELL enables on-site PBMCs purification and cryopreservation for immune single-cell profiling of underrepresented ancestries
<h2>Summary</h2> 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.
Authors
- Tamara Méndez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9147-4444)
- Vinicius Maracaja‐Coutinho (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8873-9381)
- Sebastián Urquiza-Zurich (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8064-330X)
- José Antonio Corona-Gómez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5601-4821)
- Guillermo Barreto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2568-2629)
- Octavio Zambada-Moreno (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7358-6637)
- Bárbara dos Santos Dias (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5643-4518)
- Lucía Spangenberg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5124-9250)
- Diego Pérez-Stuardo
- L J Diniz
- Marcela Hernández-Coronado (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3841-0692)
- Alicia Colombo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2690-146X)
- Laura Leaden
- Aarón Espinosa‐Jaime
- Carla Gallo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8348-0473)
- Doménica Marchese (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3036-4580)
- Gerardo Donoso
- Adolfo Rojas-Hidalgo
- Hugo Guerrero-Cázares
- Patricia Severino
- Ricardo A. Verdugo
- Emiliano Vicencio
- Marisol Espitia Fajardo
- Guillherme Martelossi Cebinelli
- Carla Daniela Robles-Espinoza
- Carlos Ortiz-Ramírez
- Patricia A. Possik
- María de Jesús-Ortega
- Andrés Moreno-Estrada
Institutions
- Kyushu University (JP)
- Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (PE)
- Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein (BR)
- WinnMed (US)
- Wellcome Sanger Institute (GB)
- Universidad Autónoma de Chile (CL)
- Hospital do Câncer III (BR)
- Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (CL)
- Instituto Nacional de Saúde (MZ)
- Instituto Nacional de Câncer - INCA (BR)
- Mayo Clinic in Florida (US)
- Hospital de Clínicas (UY)
- Institut Pasteur de Montevideo (UY)
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (BR)
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional (MX)
- Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (MX)
- University of Chile (CL)
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (MX)
- Universidad del Valle (CO)
Publication Details
- Journal
- iScience
- Published
- 2026-05-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2026.115961
- Primary Topic
- Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Chan Zuckerberg Initiative