Research on Tap: Medicine in the Molecular Era: Single Cell Sequencing (2018)
Biological samples contain a complex ecosystem of different cell types which coordinate to perform normal tissue-related functions. These ecosystems can be disrupted in a variety of ways that contribute to disease initiation and progression. Recent advances in microfluidics and next-generation sequencing allow for very small amounts of RNA from single cells to be amplified and profiled, a process known as single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). By profiling individual cells, scRNA-seq provides insights into cellular heterogeneity within a sample that was previously unobtainable with “bulk” RNA sequencing. The abundance of different cellular subpopulations can be compared across tissues or conditions to elucidate the role of various cellular subpopulations in disease. Researchers at BU are at the forefront of this cutting-edge technology, and the Department of Medicine has established a Single Cell Sequencing Core to support researchers in this area. Attend this Research on Tap to learn about this resource and how researchers at BU are applying this scRNA-seq technology to better understand the biology of disease. View program here.