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The Human Genomes Platforms Project (HGPP) aims to leverage best practice technologies and global standards to accelerate Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reuseable (FAIR) human genomics data sharing in Australia. Involving leading Australian human genomics research organisations, along with national computing infrastructure partners, the HGPP is breaking down silos and facilitating the deployment of much needed genomic data sharing infrastructure in Australia. The main project themes are: virtual cohort assembly; data access committee (DAC) automation; federated identity and access management; data and metadata archiving; and documentation, communications and training. We are collaborating with partners internationally to bring best practice technologies to Australia. This includes: Investigating emerging Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) standards including Beacon v2 for virtual cohort assembly and Passports to enable access to data Assessing software including Resource Entitlement Management System (REMS) and Data Use Oversight System (DUOS) to facilitate the Data Access Request and Approval process undertaken by DACs Establishing a national life science authentication service using CILogon Investigating the feasibility of a Federated European Genome-Phenome Archive (FEGA) node in Australia Ensuring all aspects of the project are well-documented as well as hosting webinars and training sessions to ensure outputs are easily adopted by the community Here we introduce the HGPP, an Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) and Bioplatforms Australia funded project with in-kind contributions from partner organisations. We describe our achievements to date, outline our upcoming plans for the project and how they will improve the landscape of human genomics data sharing for Australian researchers.

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The origins and functions of kidney macrophages in the adult have been explored, but their roles during development remain largely unknown. Here we characterise macrophage arrival, localisation, heterogeneity, and functions during kidney organogenesis. Using genetic approaches to ablate macrophages, we identify a role for macrophages in nephron progenitor cell clearance as mouse kidney development begins. Throughout renal organogenesis, most kidney macrophages are perivascular and express F4/80 and CD206. These macrophages are enriched for mRNAs linked to developmental processes, such as blood vessel morphogenesis. Using antibody-mediated macrophage-depletion, we show macrophages support vascular anastomoses in cultured kidney explants. We also characterise a subpopulation of galectin-3+ (Gal3+) myeloid cells within the developing kidney. Our findings may stimulate research into macrophage-based therapies for renal developmental abnormalities and have implications for the generation of bioengineered kidney tissues., eLife digest The kidneys clean our blood by filtering out waste products while ensuring that useful components, like nutrients, remain in the bloodstream. Blood enters the kidneys through a network of intricately arranged blood vessels, which associate closely with the ‘cleaning tubes’ that carry out filtration. Human kidneys start developing during the early phases of embryonic development. During this process, the newly forming blood vessels and cleaning tubes must grow in the right places for the adult kidney to work properly. Macrophages are cells of the immune system that clear away foreign, diseased, or damaged cells. They are also thought to encourage growth of the developing kidney, but how exactly they do this has remained unknown. Munro et al. therefore wanted to find out when macrophages first appeared in the embryonic kidney and how they might help control their development. Experiments using mice revealed that the first macrophages arrived in the kidney early during its development, alongside newly forming blood vessels. Further investigation using genetically modified mice that did not have macrophages revealed that these immune cells were needed at this stage to clear away misplaced kidney cells and help ‘set the scene’ for future development. At later stages, macrophages in the kidney interacted closely with growing blood vessels. As well as producing molecules linked with blood vessel formation, the macrophages wrapped around the vessels themselves, sometimes even eating cells lining the vessels and the blood cells carried within them. These observations suggested that macrophages actively shaped the network of blood vessels developing within the kidneys. Experiments removing macrophages from kidney tissue confirmed this: in normal kidneys, the blood vessels grew into a continuous network, but in kidneys lacking macrophages, far fewer connections formed between the vessels. This work sheds new light on how the complex structures in the adult kidney first arise and could be useful in future research. For example, adding macrophages to simplified, laboratory-grown ‘mini-kidneys’ could make them better models to study kidney growth, while patients suffering from kidney diseases might benefit from new drugs targeting macrophages.