This paper introduces the Asian Immune Diversity Atlas (AIDA), a comprehensive single-cell RNA sequencing reference atlas of human immune cells collected from diverse populations across five Asian countries. The research explores the impact of human diversity, including self-reported ethnicity, genetic ancestry, sex, and age, on the molecular and cellular characteristics of immune cells. Key findings highlight differential abundances of cell neighborhoods and cell populations across various groups, as well as the discovery of population-specific functional variants (eQTLs) that contextualize disease-associated genetic loci. Ultimately, AIDA aims to advance precision medicine by providing a crucial resource for understanding human immune diversity and its implications for disease risk and pathogenesis, especially in underrepresented Asian populations.
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