Holger Heyn is ICREA Professor at the Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico (CNAG). His Single Cell Genomics group is specialized on advanced single-cell and spatial sequencing technologies and the development of computational toolkits. The group integrates genomic data from individual immune cells to chart cellular identities and their roles in diseases, by combining expertise in genomics, computational biology and immunology. Dr. Heyn published 139 articles (24,313 citations, H-index of 69) and is member of the Human Cell Atlas project, where he co-chairs the Standards and Technology Working Group. As Scientific Co-founder of Omniscope, Dr. Heyn brings high-resolution profiling technologies to clinical application, developing advanced diagnostics and therapeutics tools.
Research interests
Dr. Heyn is a Genomics scientist investigating cellular mechanisms in health and disease. He is an expert in single-cell and spatial genomics with a focus on immune diagnostics and therapies. Dr. Heyn leads CNAG’s Single Cell Genomics group, merging technology and computational expertise for translational and clinical research. The group contributes to the Human Cell Atlas (HCA) Project to create reference maps of all human cells, with projects to build atlases of the immune system, the pancreas and the kidney. Dr. Heyn is co-chairing the HCA Standards and Technology Working Group, leading efforts to define best-practises of emerging single-cell and spatial technologies. Public and private funding supports his translational work to determine the plasticity of immune cells in oncology and inflammation. The group’s ultimate goal is to transform single-cell and spatial technologies into clinical tools for precision diagnostics and the development of next-generation immuno-therapies.
Selected publications
- Pitino E, Pascual-Reguant A, Segato-Dezem F, Wise K, Salvador-Martinez I, Crowell HL, Marção M, Ruiz M, Courtois E, Flynn WF, Sivajothi S, Soja E, Caratù G, Mora-Roldan GA, Dredge BK, Liu Y, Chasteen H, Mohenska M, Nieto JC, Yip RKH, Mishi RD, Polo JM, Abdalfttah M, Sullivan AE, Plummer JT*, Heyn H & Martelotto LG 2025, '
STAMP: Single-cell transcriptomics analysis and multimodal profiling through imaging', Cell. 188 - 18 - 5100-5117.e26.
- Sentís I, Melero JL, Cebria-Xart A, Grzelak M, Soto M, Michel A, Rovira Q, Rodriguez-Hernandez CJ, Caratù G, Urpi A, Sauvage C, Mendizabal-Sasieta A, Maspero D, Lavarino CE, Pascual-Reguant A, Castañeda Heredia A, Muñoz Perez JP, Mora J, Harari A, Nieto JC, Avgustinova A & Heyn H 2025, 'Spatiotemporal T-cell tracking for personalized T-cell receptor T-cell therapy designs in childhood cancer', Annals of Oncology. 36 - 9 - 1096-1106.
- Henriques A, Salvany-Celades M, Nieto P, Palomo-Ponce S, Sevillano M, Hernando-Momblona X, Middendorp-Guerra E, Llanses Martinez M, Haak EM, Nieto J, Caratú G, Marchese D, Ruiz Gil M, Tosi S, Suckert T, Badia-Ramentol J, Caballé-Mestres A, Sanchez-Zarzalejo C, Mateo L, Tauriello DVF, Riera A, Sancho E, Attolini CS, Prados A, Heyn H & Batlle E 2025, 'TGF-β builds a dual immune barrier in colorectal cancer by impairing T cell recruitment and instructing immunosuppressive SPP1+ macrophages', Nature Genetics. 57 - 12 - 3050-3065.
Selected research activities
Dr. Heyn serves as Co-Chair of the Standards and Technology Working Group of the Human Cell Atlas (HCA) project. In addition to this role, he has been appointed Co-Chair of the Industry Partnership Program and is co-leading the task force defining the strategy for the next phase of the project - the HCA 2.0.