Standardized nomenclature is crucial for robust data management, adherence to FAIR principles, and AI in immunological research. The lack of a unified framework for immune cell population identification hinders data interpretation and integration across studies.
The SOULCAP initiative aims to establish the globally accepted standard for identifying immune cell populations through cytometry, addressing this critical gap.
The initiative brings together stakeholders from industry (including pharmaceutical companies, CROs, cytometry instrument and reagent manufacturers), ontology and software developers, scientists and clinicians. Our Advisory Board comprises leadership from key organizations such as ICCS, ISAC, IUIS, ESCCA, FOCIS, NIH, and NIST, ensuring broad acceptance and sustainability.
Develop the universal standard for gating and semantic annotation of immune cell populations.
Align commercially available reagents with the new standard.
Create an open bioinformatics reference implementation for annotation and guidelines for commercial software adaptation.
Establish proficiency testing, performance evaluation, and validation protocols for reagents, laboratories, and automated gating/annotation software supporting the standard.
Foster strategic partnerships to promote data sharing and knowledge dissemination.