身為一個熱愛美食、喜歡在城市裡挖掘驚喜的人，臺中公益路一直是我最常出沒的地方之一。這條路可說是「臺中人的美食戰場」，從精緻西餐到創意火鍋，從日式丼飯到義式早午餐，每走幾步，就會有完全不同的特色料理餐廳。

這次我特別花了一整個月，實際造訪了公益路上十間口碑不錯的餐廳。有的是網友熱推的打卡名店，也有隱藏在巷弄裡的小驚喜。我以環境氛圍、口味表現、價格CP值與再訪意願為基準，整理出這篇實測評比。希望能幫正在猶豫去哪裡吃飯的你，找到那一間「吃完會想再來」的餐廳。

評比標準與整理方向

這次我走訪的10家餐廳橫跨不同料理類型，從高質感牛排館到巷弄系早午餐，每一間都有自己獨特的風格。為了讓整體比較更客觀，我依照以下四大面向進行評比，並搭配實際用餐體驗來打分。

整體而言，我希望這份評比不只是「哪家好吃」，而是幫你在不同情境下（約會、家庭聚餐、朋友小聚、商業午餐）都能快速找到合適的選擇。畢竟，美食不只是味覺的滿足，更是一段段與朋友共享的生活記憶。

10間臺中公益路餐廳評比懶人包

公益路向來是臺中人聚餐的首選地段，從火鍋、燒肉到中式料理與早午餐，每走幾步就有驚喜。以下是我實際造訪過的10間代表性餐廳清單，橫跨平價、創意、高級各路風格。

一頭牛日式燒肉｜炭香濃郁的和牛饗宴，約會聚餐首選

走在公益路上，很難不被 一頭牛日式燒肉 的木質外觀吸引。低調卻不失質感的門面，搭配昏黃燈光與暖色調的內裝，讓人一進門就感受到濃濃的日式職人氛圍。店內空間不大，但桌距規劃得宜，每桌皆設有獨立排煙設備，烤肉時完全不怕滿身油煙味。

餐點特色

一頭牛的靈魂，絕對是他們招牌的「三國和牛拼盤」。
嚴選的和牛部位，共八個部位、十樣餐點，讓人能從牛頭一路品嘗到牛尾。
油花分布均勻、切片厚薄恰好，經過炭火烤炙後香氣四溢，焦香與油脂在口中交融，入口即化的滑順感令人難忘。
值得一提的是，一頭牛的菜單設計十分彈性
想要一次體驗完整套餐也可以，偏好客製口味則能自由單點組合，不受套餐限制，想吃什麼就點什麼。
而且每桌都能選擇「自行燒烤」或「專人代烤」服務，代烤師的火侯掌握與節奏讓整體體驗更輕鬆愉快。
除了主角和牛，旬味野炊飯 與 主廚冰淇淋 也是隱藏版亮點，前者粒粒分明、香氣撲鼻；後者以香草與焙茶為基底，隨季節更換口味，完美收尾。整體服務親切熱情，特別是壽星還能享有 生日畫盤驚喜，讓慶祝時刻更添儀式感。

用餐體驗

整體節奏掌握得非常好。店員會在你剛想烤下一片肉時貼心遞上夾子、幫忙換烤網，讓人完全不用分心。整場用餐過程就像一場表演，從視覺、嗅覺到味覺都被滿足。
如果是第一次約會或慶祝特別節日，這裡的氛圍既不尷尬又不吵鬧，是營造氣氛的理想選擇。

綜合評分

地址：408臺中市南屯區公益路二段162號

電話：04-23206800

官網：http://www.marihuana.com.tw/yakiniku/index.html

小結語

一頭牛日式燒肉不僅是「吃肉的地方」，更像是一場五感盛宴。從進門那一刻到最後一道甜點，都能感受到他們對細節的用心。
若要在公益路找一間能讓人「邊吃邊微笑」的燒肉店，一頭牛 絕對值得列入你的必訪清單。

TANG Zhan 湯棧｜文青系火鍋代表，麻香湯底與視覺美感並重

在公益路這條美食戰線上，TANG Zhan 湯棧 是讓人一眼就會想走進去的那一種。
黑灰調的現代外觀、搭配微霧玻璃與招牌的「湯棧」燈字，呈現出一種低調的時尚感。
店內設計延續品牌主題，以「湯」為靈魂打造整體體驗，從裝潢到香氣，都有濃厚的溫潤氣息。

餐點特色

湯棧最有名的當然是它的「麻香鍋」。
湯底以雞骨與多種辛香料慢熬，香氣濃郁卻不嗆辣，入口後會在喉間留下柔和的花椒香。
「招牌麻油雞鍋」與「黃金牛奶鍋」也是人氣選項，特別是在冬天，溫潤的湯底配上滑嫩肉片，讓人每一口都覺得暖心。
他們的「滷肉飯」和「香蔥豆腐皮」更是許多老客人必點的靈魂配角，簡單卻有記憶點。

用餐體驗

整體氛圍比一般火鍋店更有質感。
桌距寬敞、燈光柔和，店員動作俐落又親切。即使客滿，也不會感覺吵雜或壓迫。
不論是一個人想靜靜吃鍋、或是朋友聚餐，湯棧都能給你剛剛好的距離與溫度。
值得一提的是，上菜速度快、湯底續湯毫不手軟，細節服務到位。

綜合評分

地址：408臺中市南屯區公益路二段248號

電話：04-22580617

官網：https://www.facebook.com/TangZhan.tw/

小結語

NINI 尼尼臺中店｜明亮寬敞的義式早午餐天堂

如果說前兩間是肉食愛好者的天堂，那 NINI 尼尼臺中店 絕對是想放鬆、聊聊天的好地方。餐廳外觀以白色系與大片玻璃窗為主，陽光灑進室內，讓人一踏入就有種度假般的輕盈感。假日早午餐時段特別熱鬧，建議提早訂位。

餐點特色

NINI 的菜單融合義式與臺灣人口味，選擇多樣且份量十足。主打的 松露燉飯 濃郁卻不膩口，米芯保留微Q口感；而 香蒜海鮮義大利麵 則以新鮮白蝦、花枝與淡菜搭配微辣蒜香，口感層次豐富。
此外，他們的薄餅披薩相當受歡迎，餅皮薄脆、餡料新鮮，是三五好友共享的好選擇。

用餐體驗

店內氣氛輕鬆不拘謹，無論是一個人帶電腦工作、或朋友聚餐，都能找到舒服角落。餐點上桌速度穩定，服務人員態度親切、補水與收盤都非常主動。整體節奏讓人覺得「時間變慢了」，很適合想遠離忙碌日常的人。

綜合評分

地址：40861臺中市南屯區公益路二段18號

電話：04-23288498

官網：https://nini.com.tw/

小結語

加分100%浜中特選昆布鍋物｜平價卻用心的湯頭系火鍋，家庭聚餐好選擇

在公益路這條高質感餐廳林立的戰場上，加分100%浜中特選昆布鍋物 走的是截然不同的路線。它沒有浮誇的裝潢、也沒有高價位的套餐，但靠著實在的湯頭與親切的服務，默默吸引許多回頭客。每到用餐時間，總能看到家庭或情侶三兩成群地圍著鍋邊聊天。

餐點特色

主打 北海道浜中昆布湯底，湯頭清澈卻不單薄，越煮越能喝出海藻與柴魚的自然香氣。
我這次點的是「牛奶昆布鍋」，入口時奶香與昆布香完美融合，搭配新鮮的牛五花肉片，滑順又不膩。
菜盤走健康取向，蔬菜比例高，連玉米、南瓜、豆皮都能吃出甜味；附餐的烏龍麵Q彈有嚼勁，吃完十分有飽足感。

用餐體驗

整體氛圍偏家庭取向，桌距寬敞、座位舒適，帶小孩來也不覺擁擠。店員態度親切，補湯、收盤都很勤快，給人一種「被照顧著」的安心感。
最難得的是，即使價位不高，食材新鮮度仍維持得很好，能感受到店家對品質的堅持。

綜合評分

地址：403臺中市西區公益路288號

電話：0910855180

官網：https://giafine100.com/

小結語

加分100%浜中特選昆布鍋物是一間「不浮誇、但會讓人想再訪」的火鍋店。它不追求豪華擺盤，而是用最簡單的湯頭與新鮮食材，傳遞出家常卻不平凡的溫度。
如果你想在公益路找一間可以放心帶家人一起吃的鍋物店，這裡絕對會讓人感到「加分」不少。

印月餐廳｜中式料理的藝術演繹，宴客與家庭聚會首選

說到臺中公益路的中式料理代表，印月餐廳 絕對是榜上有名。這間開業多年的餐廳以「中菜西吃」的概念聞名，把傳統中式料理以現代手法重新詮釋。從建築外觀到餐具擺設，每個細節都散發著低調的典雅氣息。
走進印月，挑高的空間、柔和的燈光與木質桌椅構成沉穩的氛圍。
不論是家庭聚餐、商務宴客，還是節日慶祝，都能找到恰到好處的格調。

餐點特色

印月最令人印象深刻的是他們將傳統中菜融入創意手法。
這次我品嚐的「松露雞湯」香氣濃郁、層次分明，一口下去既有中式的溫潤感，又帶出西式松露的奢華香氣。
「蒜香牛肋條」則是另一道招牌菜，外酥內嫩、油香十足，咬下去肉汁在口中散開，搭配特調醬汁非常過癮。
此外，他們的創意港點如「麻辣小籠包」與「金沙流沙包」也深受年輕客群喜愛，既保留經典又玩出新意。

用餐體驗

服務方面完全對得起餐廳的高級定位。從入座、點餐到上菜節奏，都拿捏得恰如其分。每道菜都會有服務人員細心介紹食材與吃法，讓人感受到「被款待」的尊榮感。
雖然價位偏中高，但在這樣的氛圍與品質下，物有所值。

綜合評分

地址：408臺中市南屯區公益路二段818號

電話：0422511155

官網：https://wein818.com/

小結語

印月餐廳是一間「不只吃飯，更像品味生活」的地方。
它成功地讓中式料理不再只是圓桌菜，而是能展現質感、講究細節的美食體驗。
若你在找一間能同時滿足味蕾與體面的餐廳，印月 絕對是公益路上的不敗經典。

KoDō 和牛燒肉｜極致職人精神，專為儀式感與頂級味覺而生

若要形容 KoDō 和牛燒肉 的用餐體驗，一句話足以總結——「像在欣賞一場關於肉的表演」。
隱身在公益路一隅，KoDō 的外觀低調典雅，店內以深色木質調與間接照明營造出沉穩氛圍。
從踏入店門那一刻開始，服務人員的態度、動線、聲音控制，全都精準到位，讓人彷彿走進日式劇場。

餐點特色

這裡主打 日本A5和牛冷藏肉，以「精切厚燒」的方式呈現。
我點的「壽喜燒風和牛套餐」是本日最驚艷的一道——服務人員現場以鐵鍋輕煎，再淋上特製壽喜燒醬汁，香氣瞬間瀰漫整桌。
肉片油花細緻、入口即化，搭配生蛋液後更添柔滑口感。
另一道「冷藏肋眼心」則保留了和牛的彈性與甜度，每一口都能感受到油脂與炭火交織出的層次。
即使是配角如「季節小菜」與「日式和風飯」也毫不馬虎，整體呈現出高級卻不造作的平衡。

用餐體驗

KoDō 的最大特色是「儀式感」。
每位店員的動作都有節奏，從擺盤、火候、換網到講解，都像排練過無數次的演出。
在這裡用餐，會自然地放慢速度，專注於每一口肉帶來的細膩變化。
特別推薦搭配店內的紅酒或日本威士忌，風味更加圓潤。

綜合評分

地址：403臺中市西區公益路260號

電話：0423220312

官網：https://www.facebook.com/kodo2018/

小結語

KoDō 和牛燒肉不是日常餐廳，而是一場體驗。
從環境、服務到食材，每個細節都讓人感受到對「完美」的執著。
若你想在公益路找一間能讓人留下深刻印象、適合紀念日慶祝的餐廳，KoDō 絕對是值得收藏的一次「味覺儀式」。

永心鳳茶｜在茶香裡用餐的優雅時光，臺味早午餐的新詮釋

走進 永心鳳茶公益店，彷彿進入一間有氣質的茶館。
柔和的燈光灑在復古綠牆上，搭配大理石桌面與金色餐具，整體氛圍既典雅又帶有一絲文青氣息。
這裡不只是喝茶的地方，更像是把「臺灣味」以早午餐的形式重新演繹。

餐點特色

永心鳳茶的餐點結合中式靈魂與西式擺盤，無論是「炸雞腿飯」還是「紅玉紅茶拿鐵」，都能讓人感受到熟悉卻不平凡的味道。
炸雞腿外酥內嫩，搭配自製酸菜與溏心蛋，鹹香中帶著層次感。
「鳳茶甜點拼盤」則以茶為靈魂——伯爵茶蛋糕、烏龍茶奶酪、紅茶雪酥，每一口都有細緻的香氣變化。
最特別的是他們的茶飲，從臺灣高山紅茶到金萱冷泡茶，每一壺都現泡現倒，香氣清雅。
對我而言，這不只是一頓飯，更是一段放鬆的午後儀式。

用餐體驗

店內服務人員態度溫和，對茶品介紹詳盡。上餐節奏剛好，不急不徐。
整體氛圍很「耐坐」，許多客人吃完正餐後仍會續點一壺茶聊天。
音樂輕柔、光線柔和，是那種可以靜靜待上兩小時的地方。

綜合評分

地址：40360臺中市西區公益路68號三樓(勤美誠品)

電話：0423221118

官網：https://linktr.ee/yonshin

小結語

永心鳳茶讓人重新定義「臺味」。
它不走傳統路線，而是把熟悉的元素以更細緻、更現代的方式呈現。
無論是姊妹下午茶、親子餐聚，或是想一個人沉澱片刻，永心鳳茶 都是一處能讓人慢下來、品味生活的好地方。

三希樓｜老饕級江浙功夫菜，穩重又帶人情味的中式饗宴

位於公益路上的 三希樓 是許多臺中老饕的口袋名單。
它沒有浮誇的裝潢，卻有一種低調的自信。從大門進入，就能聞到淡淡的醬香與蒸氣味，那是正宗江浙菜的靈魂。
整體裝潢以深木色為主，搭配圓桌與包廂設計，非常適合家庭聚餐或請客宴會。

餐點特色

三希樓的菜色以 江浙與港式料理 為主，兼顧傳統與現代風味。
我這次點了「東坡肉」與「蝦仁炒飯」，兩道都展現了主廚深厚的火候功力。
東坡肉油亮卻不膩，入口即化、鹹甜交織；蝦仁炒飯粒粒分明、香氣十足，每一口都吃得到鑊氣。
此外，「小籠包」皮薄多汁，是幾乎每桌必點的招牌；港點類如「金牌流沙包」與「干貝燒賣」也都表現穩定。

用餐體驗

三希樓的服務給人一種老派但貼心的感覺。
店員上菜節奏掌握得很好，會主動幫忙分菜、收盤，態度沉穩而不打擾。
最讓我印象深刻的是，這裡的客群非常多元——有帶長輩的家庭、公司聚餐，也有情侶共度節日，卻都能在同一空間裡感到自在。

綜合評分

地址：408臺中市南屯區公益路二段95號

電話：0423202322

官網：https://www.sanxilou.com.tw/

小結語

三希樓是一間「吃得出功夫」的餐廳。
它不追求創新，而是用穩定的味道與真材實料，抓住每一位饕客的胃。
如果你想在公益路上找一間能兼顧長輩口味、氣氛又不拘謹的中餐廳，三希樓 絕對是最穩妥的選擇。

一笈壽司｜低調奢華的無菜單日料，職人手藝詮釋旬味極致

在熱鬧的公益路上，一笈壽司 低調得幾乎不顯眼。
外觀簡約，沒有華麗招牌，只有小小的木質門面與柔黃燈光。
一推開門，迎面而來的是日式杉木香氣與寧靜的氛圍，吧檯座位整齊排列，主廚站在中間，彷彿舞臺上的演出者。

餐點特色

一笈壽司採 Omakase（無菜單料理） 形式，每一餐都由主廚根據當日食材設計。
我這次選擇中價位套餐（約 $1200），共十多道料理，從前菜、小鉢、刺身、握壽司到甜點一氣呵成。
「比目魚鰭邊握」是整場最驚豔的瞬間——主廚以火槍輕炙，油脂瞬間釋放，入口後化成柔滑香氣。
「甜蝦海膽軍艦」則完美展現鮮度與層次感，海膽甘甜、甜蝦緊實。
搭配主廚親自調配的醬汁，每一口都像在品嚐季節的節奏。

用餐體驗

整場用餐約90分鐘，節奏緩慢但沉穩。
主廚會邊料理邊與客人互動，介紹魚種產地與食材處理方式。
雖然整體空間不大，但氣氛極佳——柔和的音樂、清酒的香氣、刀刃切魚時的聲音，讓人完全沉浸其中。
特別喜歡他們最後的甜點「焙茶奶酪」，收尾清爽優雅，為整場體驗畫下完美句點。

綜合評分

地址：408臺中市南屯區公益路二段25號

電話：0423206368

官網：https://www.facebook.com/YIJI.sushi/

小結語

一笈壽司是一間真正讓人「放慢呼吸」的餐廳。
這裡沒有多餘擺盤，也不靠噱頭，而是以主廚對食材的尊重與技術堆疊出一場味覺饗宴。
若你想在公益路體驗日本料理最純粹的精神，一笈壽司 絕對值得你預約、靜靜期待。

茶六燒肉堂｜人氣爆棚的和牛燒肉聖地，肉香與幸福感同時滿分

若要票選公益路上「最難訂位」的餐廳，茶六燒肉堂 絕對名列前茅。
不管平日或假日，用餐時段幾乎一位難求。外觀以木質格柵搭配大面玻璃設計，呈現出年輕又有質感的風格。店內空間明亮、桌距適中，播放著輕快的音樂，整體氛圍熱鬧中帶點高級感，是許多年輕人聚餐、慶生的首選地。

餐點特色

茶六主打 和牛燒肉套餐，價格約落在 $700–$1000 間，份量與品質兼具。
我這次點的是「厚切牛舌套餐」，肉片厚實彈牙，略帶脆感，搭配鹽蔥提味剛剛好。
另一道「和牛拼盤」也相當受歡迎，油花分布均勻、香氣濃郁，輕烤幾秒即可入口即化。
套餐附餐部分也相當用心：沙拉新鮮、味噌湯濃郁，最後還有一份「茶香冰淇淋」作結尾，香氣清爽，完美收尾。

用餐體驗

茶六的服務效率相當高。店員親切、換網勤快、補水速度快，整場用餐流程流暢無壓力。
雖然客人很多，但環境維持得乾淨整潔，動線規劃良好。
最令人印象深刻的是他們的 整體節奏拿捏得剛剛好 ——餐點上桌快、氣氛熱絡，卻不會讓人覺得匆忙。
不論是朋友聚會、家庭聚餐，甚至是情侶約會，都能找到各自的樂趣。

綜合評分

地址：403臺中市西區公益路268號

電話：0423281167

官網：https://inline.app/booking/-L93VSXuz8o86ahWDRg0:inline-live-karuizawa/-LUYUEIOYwa7GCUpAFWA

小結語

茶六燒肉堂用「穩定品質＋輕奢氛圍」抓住了臺中年輕族群的心。
不論是第一次約會還是老朋友重聚，都能在這裡找到屬於燒肉的快樂節奏。
若你在公益路只想挑一家「保證不踩雷」的燒肉店，茶六燒肉堂 絕對是首選。

吃完10家公益路餐廳後的心得與結語

吃完這十家餐廳後，臺中公益路不只是一條美食街，而是一段生活風景線。

有的餐廳講究細膩與儀式感，像 一頭牛日式燒肉 與 一笈壽司，讓人感受到食材最純粹的美好

有的則以親切與溫度打動人心，像 加分昆布鍋物、永心鳳茶，讓人明白吃飯不只是為了飽足，而是一種被照顧的幸福。

而像茶六燒肉堂、TANG Zhan 湯棧 這類人氣名店，則用穩定的品質與熱絡的氛圍，成為許多臺中人心中「想吃肉就去那裡」的代名詞。

這十家店，構成了公益路最動人的縮影

有華麗的，也有溫柔的；有傳統的，也有創新的。

 每一家都在自己的風格裡發光，讓人吃到的不只是料理，而是一種生活的溫度與節奏。

對我而言，這不僅是一場美食旅程，更是一趟關於「臺中味道」的回憶之旅。

FAQ：關於臺中公益路美食常見問題

Q1：公益路哪一區的餐廳最集中？
 最熱鬧的區段大約在「公益路與黎明路口」一帶，這裡聚集了許多知名餐廳，從高級燒肉到早午餐通通有。
像 一頭牛日式燒肉、TANG Zhan 湯棧、茶六燒肉堂 都在這附近，交通方便、停車也相對容易。

Q2：需要提前訂位嗎？
 公益路的熱門餐廳幾乎都建議 提早3～5天訂位，尤其是假日或節慶期間。
特別是 一頭牛日式燒肉、KoDō 和牛燒肉、一笈壽司 這幾家，若臨時前往幾乎很難有位。

最後的話

若要用一句話形容這趟美食之旅，我會說：
「在公益路，吃飯不是選擇，而是一種享受。」
這條路上的每一次用餐，都像一段城市裡的小旅行。
下次當你不確定想吃什麼時，不妨沿著公益路走一圈，或許下一家，正好就是你新的最愛。

永心鳳茶第一次來要點什麼？

如果你也和我一樣喜歡用味蕾探索一座城市，那就把這篇公益路美食攻略收藏起來吧。永心鳳茶值得專程去嗎？

無論是約會、慶生、家庭聚餐，或只是想犒賞一下辛苦的自己——這條路上永遠會有一間剛剛好的餐廳在等你。一笈壽司年末聚餐推薦嗎？

下一餐，不妨從這10家開始。KoDō 和牛燒肉春酒場面夠體面嗎？

打開手機、約上朋友，讓公益路成為你生活裡最容易抵達的小確幸。一笈壽司單點比較好嗎？

如果你有私心愛店，也歡迎留言分享，加分100%浜中特選昆布鍋物停車方便嗎？

你的推薦，可能讓我下一趟美食旅程變得更精彩。TANG Zhan 湯棧套餐劃算嗎？

Researchers at WashU Medicine collaborated with an international team of doctors and scientists to identify the cause of a rare disorder involving intellectual disability and brain malformations. Brain scans from a patient with this disorder reveal atypical features in white matter (arrows, left) and the cerebellum (arrows, right). Credit: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology at RWTH Aachen University, Germany Researchers at Washington University have discovered a new genetic disorder affecting protein folding, offering potential new treatment avenues for rare brain conditions. When most people feeling unwell visit a doctor, they expect a clear diagnosis and treatment plan. However, for some 30 million Americans with rare diseases, their symptoms don’t match well-known disease patterns, and they may spend years or even lifetimes seeking a diagnosis. Breakthrough in Understanding a New Genetic Disorder Now, a team of researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and international collaborators has solved the mystery of a child with a rare genetic illness that did not fit any known disease. The team found a link between the child’s neurological symptoms and a genetic change that affects how proteins are properly folded within cells, providing the parents with a molecular diagnosis and identifying an entirely new type of genetic disorder. These findings, recently published in the journal Science, could lead to new treatments for rare brain malformations. Researchers at WashU Medicine modeled the effects of a patient’s genetic change in the tiny roundworm, C. elegans. Their findings, published in Science, contributed to the identification of a new type of rare disorder involving intellectual disability and brain malformations. Credit: Matt Miller Advancements in Genetic Research “Many patients with severe, rare genetic disease remain undiagnosed despite extensive medical evaluation,” said Stephen Pak, PhD, a professor of pediatrics and a co-corresponding author on the study. “Our study has helped a family better understand their child’s illness, preventing further unnecessary clinical evaluations and tests. The findings also have made it possible to identify 22 additional patients with the same or overlapping neurological symptoms and genetic changes that affect protein folding, paving the way for even more diagnoses and, ultimately, potential treatments.” According to Pak, about 10% of patients with suspected genetic disorders have a variant in a gene that has not yet been linked to a disease. His career has been focused on solving such medical mysteries. Pak and author Tim Schedl, PhD, a professor of genetics and a co-director of the model organisms screening center at WashU Medicine, use tiny roundworms called C. elegans to assess whether specific genetic changes found in undiagnosed patients are responsible for their symptoms. With funding from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), they and a team of researchers at WashU Medicine have committed to solving more such cases. Methodology and Findings For this study, they teamed up with researchers and doctors from more than a dozen institutions across North America, Europe, India, and China to identify the cause of a cluster of clinical findings in a boy from Germany, and other similar cases. The German patient had an intellectual disability, low muscle tone, and a small brain with abnormal structures. Doctors also found changes to the CCT3 gene, so Pak’s team set out to determine if it could be the cause of the patient’s condition. C. elegans has counterparts to about 50% of human genes, including the CCT3 gene, which is known as cct-3 in roundworms. Weimin Yuan, PhD, a staff scientist in pediatrics and co-first author, found that C. elegans with the patient’s genetic variant moved slower than roundworms with a healthy copy of the gene did, revealing that the genetic change can affect mobility and the nervous system. The affected CCT3 protein is part of the large TRIC/CCT molecular complex whose job is to fold other proteins into their proper shape so they function as they should within cells. The study found that the protein-folding machinery cannot perform without a specific amount of healthy CCT3. “We knew the child has one good and one bad variant gene copy,” Schedl said. “Our studies in C. elegans revealed that the genetic change reduces the activity of the normal protein, decreasing the capacity of the protein-folding machinery, and that for both C. elegans cct-3 and human CCT3, having 50% of activity was insufficient for normal biological function.” The outcome of having reduced protein-folding machinery, they found, was that actin proteins – which help to maintain cell shape and movement –were incorrectly folded and abnormally distributed throughout the cells of C. elegans that carried the patient’s variant. “An understanding of the impact of the genetic change informs the treatment modality,” Schedl added, “because the treatment needed to increase the amount of a normal protein differs from the treatment needed when the protein is poisonous or overactive.” Collaborators from RWTH Aachen University in Germany and Stanford University performed complementary investigations into cct3 variants in zebrafish – which illuminated the effects of the gene on brain development – and in yeast, which clarified its role in protein folding, respectively. Implications for Future Treatments and Diagnoses To determine if there were other patients with this same disorder, researchers mined a freely accessible global database of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They identified 22 individuals with genetic changes in seven of the eight CCT proteins that form the protein-folding machine. Abnormalities in mobility and actin folding were again seen in roundworms with variants affecting CCT1 and CCT7 proteins, just as the WashU Medicine team observed with dysfunctional CCT3. Together, these patients represent a new type of rare genetic disease involving the protein folding machinery. “This work underscores the importance of using simpler model organisms, like C. elegans, to provide novel insights into human pathobiology,” said co-author Gary Silverman, MD, PhD, the Harriet B. Spoehrer Professor of Pediatrics and head of the Department of Pediatrics. “Our findings can inform clinicians, the scientific community, and patients and families all around the world that changes to the genetic message that are needed to make the eight-protein complex cause disease,” added Pak, who together with Schedl and a team of NIH-funded researchers at WashU Medicine, aim to solve challenging medical mysteries using advanced technologies. “If next week a patient with brain malformations and neurological symptoms is found to have a variant that affects the protein-folding machine, the patient will receive a diagnosis.” Reference: “Brain malformations and seizures by impaired chaperonin function of TRiC” by Florian Kraft, Piere Rodriguez-Aliaga, Weimin Yuan, Lena Franken, Kamil Zajt, Dimah Hasan, Ting-Ting Lee, Elisabetta Flex, Andreas Hentschel, A. Micheil Innes, Bixia Zheng, Dong Sun Julia Suh, Cordula Knopp, Eva Lausberg, Jeremias Krause, Xiaomeng Zhang, Pamela Trapane, Riley Carroll, Martin McClatchey, Andrew E. Fry, Lisa Wang, Sebastian Giesselmann, Hieu Hoang, Dustin Baldridge, Gary A. Silverman, Francesca Clementina Radio, Enrico Bertini, Andrea Ciolfi, Katherine A Blood, Jean-Madeleine de Sainte Agathe, Perrine Charles, Gaber Bergant, Goran Čuturilo, Borut Peterlin, Karin Diderich, Haley Streff, Laurie Robak, Renske Oegema, Ellen van Binsbergen, John Herriges, Carol J. Saunders, Andrea Maier, Stefan Wolking, Yvonne Weber, Hanns Lochmüller, Stefanie Meyer, Alberto Aleman, Kiran Polavarapu, Gael Nicolas, Alice Goldenberg, Lucie Guyant, Kathleen Pope, Katherine N. Hehmeyer, Kristin G. Monaghan, Annegret Quade, Thomas Smol, Roseline Caumes, Sarah Duerinckx, Chantal Depondt, Wim Van Paesschen, Claudine Rieubland, Claudia Poloni, Michel Guipponi, Severine Arcioni, Marije Meuwissen, Anna C. Jansen, Jessica Rosenblum, Tobias B. Haack, Miriam Bertrand, Lea Gerstner, Janine Magg, Olaf Riess, Jörg B. Schulz, Norbert Wagner, Martin Wiesmann, Joachim Weis, Thomas Eggermann, Matthias Begemann, Andreas Roos, Martin Häusler, Tim Schedl, Marco Tartaglia, Juliane Bremer, Stephen C. Pak, Judith Frydman, Miriam Elbracht and Ingo Kurth, 31 October 2024, Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.adp8721 This work was support by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), grant number R01 HD110556; the NIH, grant numbers GM74074 and GM56433; the Children’s Discovery Institute, St Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation; Italian Ministry of Health, grant numbers RCR-2022-23682289 and PNRR-MR1-2022-12376811; the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) for Foundation Grant, grant number FDN-167281; the Transnational Team Grant, grant number ERT-174211; the Network Grant OR2-189333, grant number NMD4C; the Canada Foundation for Innovation, grant number CFI-JELF 38412; the Canada Research Chairs program (Canada Research Chair in Neuromuscular Genomics and Health), grant number 950-232279; the European Commission, grant number 101080249; the Canada Research Coordinating Committee New Frontiers in Research Fund, grant number NFRFG-2022-00033and from the Government of Canada, Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) for the Brain-Heart Interconnectome, grant number CFREF-2022- 00007; CIHR Postdoctoral fellowship; the German Research Foundation, grant number WO 2385/2-1; the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation), grant numbers WE 1406/16-1, WE 1406/17-1, 418081722, 433158657, 499059538, INST 222/1458-1 FUGG, KU 1587/6-1, KU 1587/9-1, KU 1587/10-1 and KU 1587/11-1; the “Ministerium für Kultur und Wissenschaft des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen,” grant number PROFILNRW-2020–107-A; “Der Regierende Bürgermeister von Berlin, Senatskanzlei Wissenschaft und Forschung”; postdoctoral fellowship from The Hereditary Disease Foundation (2019-2023); the lonGER consortium; the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the EJP RD COFUND-EJP, grant number 825575. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the views of the NIH.

Image showing the human small intestine. Credit: Grace Burgin, Noga Rogel & Moshe Biton, Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute New research from the Human Cell Atlas offers insights into cell development, disease mechanisms, and genetic influences, enhancing our understanding of human biology and health. The Human Cell Atlas (HCA) consortium has made significant progress in its mission to better understand the cells of the human body in health and disease, with a recent publication of a Collection of more than 40 peer-reviewed papers in Nature and other Nature Portfolio journals. The Collection showcases a range of large-scale datasets, artificial intelligence algorithms, and biomedical discoveries from the HCA that are enhancing our understanding of the human body. The studies reveal insights into how the placenta and skeleton form, changes during brain maturation, new gut and vascular cell states, lung responses to COVID-19, and the effects of genetic variation on disease, among others. Contributed by researchers worldwide, the papers in the Collection serve as essential tools and examples for building cell atlases on a large scale. Collectively, they demonstrate the HCA’s commitment to capturing the full spectrum of human diversity, including genetic, geographic, age, and sex differences. Skin organoid showing hair follicles with endothelial cells. Credit: Haniffa et al. DOI 10.1038s41586-024-08002-x Comprehensive Mapping of Human Cells The HCA is developing and using experimental and computational approaches in single-cell and spatial genomics to create comprehensive reference maps of all human cells—the fundamental units of life—as a basis for both understanding human health and diagnosing, monitoring, and treating disease. To date, more than 3,600 HCA members from over 100 countries have worked together to profile more than 100 million cells from over 10,000 people. Researchers are currently working to assemble a first draft Human Cell Atlas, which will eventually grow to include up to billions of cells across all organs and tissues. Human lung tissue. Credit: Nathan Richoz University of Cambridge New Insights from the HCA Collection This Collection of studies in Nature Portfolio demonstrates major advances in three aspects of HCA’s mission: mapping individual adult tissues or organs, mapping developing human tissues, and developing groundbreaking new analytical methods, including artificial intelligence/machine learning-based methods. The researchers involved are members of the 18 Biological Networks of the HCA, each of which is focused on a particular organ, tissue, or system. The 18 biological networks that the Human Cell Atlas work is investigating. Credit: Ania Hupalowska Foundational Goals and Achievements of HCA “The Human Cell Atlas is a global initiative that is already transforming our understanding of human health. By creating a comprehensive reference map of the healthy human body—a kind of ‘Google Maps’ for cell biology—it establishes a benchmark for detecting and understanding the changes that underlie health and disease. This new level of insight into the specific genes, mechanisms, and cell types within tissues is laying the groundwork for more precise diagnostics, innovative drug discovery and advanced regenerative medicine approaches,” said Professor Sarah Teichmann, founding co-chair of the Human Cell Atlas, now at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute. Professor Sarah Teichmann, founding co-Chair of the Human Cell Atlas, now at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute. Credit: Wellcome Sanger Institute Enhancing Our Understanding of Human Biology Dr. Aviv Regev, founding co-chair of the HCA, now at Genentech, said: “This is a pivotal moment for the HCA community as we move towards achieving the first draft of the Human Cell Atlas. This collection of studies showcases the major advances from biology to AI achieved since the publication of the HCA White Paper in 2017 and that now deliver numerous biological and clinical insights. This large-scale, community-driven, globally representative, and rigorously curated atlas will evolve continuously and remain accessible to all to advance our understanding of the human body in health and treatments for disease.” Dr. Aviv Regev, founding co-Chair of the HCA. Credit: Genentech Detailed Insights into Human Tissues and Disease Several studies in the Collection provide a detailed analysis of specific tissues and organs and reveal new biological discoveries important for understanding disease. For example, a cell atlas of the human gut from healthy and diseased tissue identified a gut cell type that may be involved in gut inflammation [Oliver et al.], providing a valuable resource for investigating and ultimately treating conditions such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Developmental Biology and Genetic Insights The new collection of papers also includes novel maps of human tissues during development. These include the first map of human skeletal development, revealing how the skeleton forms [To et al.], shedding light on the origins of arthritis, and identifying cells involved in skeletal conditions. An additional study describes a multi-omic atlas of the first-trimester placenta, including insight into genetic programs that control how the placenta develops and functions to provide nutrients and protection to the embryo [Shu et al.]. These and other developmental biology studies in the Collection increase our fundamental understanding of healthy development in time and space and provide blueprints and resources for creating therapeutics since many diseases originate in human development. Promoting Equity and Ethical Research An accompanying article highlights the importance of including samples from historically underrepresented human populations and describes actions and principles aimed at promoting equitable science [Amit et al.]. Professor Partha Majumder of the John C Martin Centre for Liver Research and Innovation, India, and a member of the HCA Organizing Committee member and Co-Chair of the HCA Equity Working Group, said: “A key priority for HCA is to ensure a representation of the vast range of human diversity; genetic, cultural and geographical. HCA studies such as the Asian Immune Diversity Atlas and the analysis of distinctive histopathological differences in COVID-19 samples from Malawi demonstrate the remarkable power of large-scale international scientific collaboration.” Another article illustrates HCA’s role in developing new ethical guidance on a broad range of issues in genomic science and making this advice available to scientists worldwide [Kirby et al.]. AI Revolutionizing Cellular Biology Research Just as AI has revolutionized humans’ ability to process text quickly, it is also now helping scientists to develop a deeper and more complete understanding of biology at the cellular level and beyond. The Collection introduces new AI methods to better understand and classify cell types and search for cells in this vast map. For example, SCimilarity [Heimberg et al.] enables researchers to compare single-cell datasets to identify similar cell types in different tissues and contexts, analogous to how “reverse image search” can search for photos. Other research teams tackled long-standing challenges, such as classifying cells into hierarchical groups based on their properties, known as cell annotation [e.g., Ergan et al. and Fischer et al.] Conclusion: Impact of the HCA Collection Dr. Jeremy Farrar, Chief Scientist, World Health Organization, said: “This landmark collection of papers from the international Human Cell Atlas community underscores the tremendous progress toward mapping every single kind of human cell and how they change as we grow up and age. The insights emerging from these discoveries are already reshaping our understanding of health and disease, paving the way for transformative health benefits that will impact lives worldwide.” Reference: “The Human Cell Atlas: towards a first draft atlas” 20 November 2024, Nature. The individual studies in the Collection were funded by over one hundred different funding sources worldwide. The HCA also receives organizational support from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Wellcome, the Klarman Family Foundation, the Helmsley Charitable Trust, and others.

Diadema group Zanzibar. Credit: Tel-Aviv University There are growing concerns about the worldwide expansion of coral reef destruction. Research team: “This is an extremely violent global pandemic. The Caribbean, Red Sea, and the Indian Ocean are critical regions for the world’s coral reefs, and mortality rates for sea urchins in these areas are very high — over 90 percent. As of now, we have no evidence of this pathogen in Pacific Ocean sea urchins (where some of the world’s largest and most vital coral reefs are located), but this is something we are actively investigating.” An international research team, led by scientists from Tel Aviv University, has identified the pathogen responsible for mass sea urchin deaths along the Red Sea coast as the same one causing widespread mortality off Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean. This discovery raises concerns that the waterborne ciliate could spread to the Pacific Ocean. Researchers warn that the outbreak is a highly aggressive global pandemic and are leading an international initiative to monitor the disease and protect sea urchins, which are essential for maintaining healthy coral reef ecosystems. Infected sea urchin on Reunion Island. Credit: Jean-Pascal Quod The study, led by Dr. Omri Bronstein from the School of Zoology at Tel Aviv University’s Wise Faculty of Life Sciences and the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, was published in the prestigious journal Ecology. “This is a first-rate ecological disaster,” explains Dr. Bronstein. “Sea urchins are vital to the health of coral reefs. They act as the ‘gardeners’ of the reef by feeding on algae, preventing it from overgrowing and suffocating the coral, which competes with algae for sunlight. In 1983, a mysterious disease wiped out most of the Diadema sea urchins in the Caribbean. Unchecked, the algae there proliferated, blocking sunlight from the coral, and the region shifted from a coral reef ecosystem to an algae-dominated one. Even 40 years later, the sea urchin population — and consequently the reef — has not recovered.” The sea urchin Diadema setosum before (left) and after (right) mortality. The white skeleton is exposed following tissue disintegration and loss of spines. Credit: Tel-Aviv University A Recurring Threat: Caribbean and Red Sea Outbreaks In 2022, the disease reemerged in the Caribbean, targeting the surviving sea urchin populations and individuals. This time, armed with advanced scientific and technological tools to collect and interpret the forensic evidence, researchers at Cornell University successfully identified the pathogen as a ciliate Scuticociliate parasite. A year later, in early 2023, Dr. Bronstein was the first to identify mass mortality events among long-spined sea urchins, a close relative of the Caribbean Sea urchins, in the Red Sea. “Until recently, this was one of the most common sea urchins in Eilat’s coral reefs — the familiar black urchins with long spines,” says Dr. Bronstein. “Today, this species no longer exists in significant numbers in the Red Sea. The event was extremely violent: within less than 48 hours, a healthy population of sea urchins turned into crumbling skeletons. In some locations in Eilat and the Sinai, mortality rates reached 100 percent. In follow-up research, we demonstrated that the Caribbean pathogen was the same one affecting populations in the Red Sea.” Sea urchin mortalities on Reunion Island. Credit: Jean-Pascal Quod Now, using genetic tools, Dr. Bronstein and his international colleagues have shown that the same ciliate parasite is responsible for similar mortality events off the coast of Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean. “This is the first genetic confirmation that the same pathogen is present in all these locations,” he says. “Now it’s a global event, a pandemic. The Caribbean, Red Sea, and the Indian Ocean are critical regions for the world’s coral reefs, and mortality rates for sea urchins in these areas are very high — over 90 percent. As of now, we have no evidence of this pathogen in Pacific Ocean sea urchins, but this is something we are actively investigating. Although we’ve developed genetic tools for the specific identification of the pathogen, it’s difficult to monitor such rapid extinction events in the vast underwater environment. We are terrestrial creatures, and some reefs are located in deep or remote areas. If we miss the mortality event by even a couple of days, we might find no trace of the extinct population.” The research team. Credit: Tel-Aviv University Tracking the Pandemic’s Spread To track the progression of the pandemic, Dr. Bronstein has established an international network of collaborators. He provides them with alerts about the likelihood of mortality events in their regions and sends them the necessary equipment to sample and preserve affected sea urchins for comparison with samples from other locations. These kits are then sent back to the laboratory at Tel Aviv University. “For populations that are already infected, we really have no tools to help them,” says Dr. Bronstein with regret. “There is no Pfizer or Moderna for sea urchins — not because we don’t want one, but because we simply can’t treat them underwater. Our focus must be on two entirely different tracks. The first is prevention. To prevent further spread of the pandemic, we need to understand why it erupted here and now. We’ve developed two hypotheses for this. The first is the transportation hypothesis — that the pathogen from the Caribbean was transported by humans to new and distant regions after being carried in the ballast water of ships, infecting sea urchins in the Red Sea before spreading to the Western Indian Ocean. Incidentally, if this hypothesis is correct, we would expect to see mortality events in West Africa as well — as many cargo ships from the Caribbean stop there on their way to the Mediterranean and then through the Suez Canal to the Red Sea.” Four healthy sea urchin species on Reunion Island. Credit: Jean-Pascal Quod He continues, “Indeed, just in the past few weeks, we’ve discovered widespread mortality events in West Africa, as we predicted, and we’ve managed to obtain a limited number of samples collected during these events, which we are currently analyzing in the lab. If ships are indeed the source of the spread, then we could think of mitigation strategies. It’s not simple, and ships will never be completely sterile, but there are measures we can take. The second possibility is even more concerning: that the pathogen has always been present, and climatic changes have triggered its virulence and outbreak. That’s a challenge of an entirely different magnitude, one that we, as marine biologists, have very limited means to address.” In parallel with global efforts, Dr. Bronstein has recently established a breeding nucleus for the affected sea urchins at the Israel Aquarium in Jerusalem, in collaboration with the Biblical Zoo and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. This breeding population will serve as a reserve to restore affected populations and advance research into infection mechanisms and possible treatments. “The pathogen is transmitted through water, so even sea urchins raised for research purposes in aquariums at the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences and the Underwater Observatory in Eilat became infected and died. That is why we established a breeding nucleus with the Israel Aquarium, whose aquariums are completely disconnected from seawater. We genetically test the urchins transferred to the nucleus to ensure they are not carriers of the disease and that they genetically belong to the Red Sea population, enabling us to rehabilitate the population in the future. At the same time, we are using them to develop sensitive genetic tools for early disease detection from seawater samples — essentially creating ‘underwater COVID tests’ for sea urchins.” Reference: “Spread of a sea urchin disease to the Indian Ocean causes widespread mortalities—Evidence from Réunion Island” by Jean-Pascal Quod, Mathieu Séré, Ian Hewson, Lachan Roth and Omri Bronstein, 20 November 2024, Ecology. DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4476

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