Biología unicelular

Abstracto

Single Cell Analysis: From Technology to Biology and Medicine

Xinghua Pan

Single-cell analysis heralds a new era that allows “omics” analysis, notably genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics and proteomics at the single-cell level. It enables the identification of minor subpopulation of cells that may play a critical role in a biological process. It provides an ultra-sensitive tool to clarify specific molecular mechanisms and pathways and reveal the nature of cell heterogeneity. It also facilitates the clinical investigation of patients when rare or single cells are available for analysis, such as noninvasive prenatal diagnosis and genetic screening for in vitro fertilization. Within a few short years, single-cell analysis, especially whole genomic sequencing and transcriptomic sequencing, is becoming robust and broadly accessible, although not yet a routine practice. Here, with single cell RNA-seq emphasized, an overview of the discipline, progresses, and prospects of single-cell analysis and its applications in biology and medicine are given.