High-parametric protein maps reveal the spatial organization in early-developing human lung

The respiratory system, encompassing the lungs, trachea, and vasculature, is essential for terrestrial life. Although recent research has illuminated aspects of lung development, such as cell lineage origins and their molecular drivers, much of our knowledge is still based on animal models, or is deduced from transcriptome analyses. In this study, conducted within the Human Developmental Cell Atlas (HDCA) initiative, we describe the spatiotemporal organization of lung during the first trimester of human gestation in situ and at protein level. We used high-parametric tissue imaging on human lung samples, aged 6 to 13 post-conception weeks, using a 30-plex antibody panel. Our approach yielded over 2 million individual lung cells across five developmental timepoints, with an in-depth analysis of nearly 1 million cells. We present a spatially resolved cell type composition of the developing human lung, with a particular emphasis on their proliferative states, spatial arrangement traits, and their temporal evolution throughout lung development. We also offer new insights into the emerging patterns of immune cells during lung development. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the most extensive protein-level examination of the developing human lung. The generated dataset is a valuable resource for further research into the developmental roots of human respiratory health and disease.