MULTI-PARAMETRIC AND HIGH-THROUGHPUT SINGLE CELL ANALYSIS

Researchers at Stanford, funded in part by the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, have generated a method for performing multi-parametric and high-throughput single cell genomic and phenotypic analyses.

Single cell -omics, the study of diverse biological processes such as genome, RNA or protein expression profiles and the analysis of specific biomolecules at the single cell level has emerged as an important method for understanding biological phenotypes. For example, assaying tumor cells allows determination of mutations enriched in tumor cell populations. However, current methods of single cell analysis have largely been limited to a single measurement. The capability to screen single cells based on desired phenotypes before downstream -omics sequencing analysis would greatly reduce assay costs while also increasing our understanding of the interplay between phenotype and genetic mechanism. Therefore, there is a need to develop a high-throughput approach for multi-parametric analyses of single cells.

Stage of Research
The inventors have developed an efficient and robust workflow for the multi-parametric analysis of single cells. They use a combination of microfluidic single-cell encapsulation into double emulsion droplets, which are compatible with aqueous high-throughput fluorescent-activated cell sorting (FACS) for downstream molecular profiling. The inventors demonstrate optimized single cell monodisperse double emulsions and robust multiparametric droplet screening. Their method, Dropception, allows the direct linkage of phenotype to genotype in single cells.

Stage of Development
Research – in vitro