The use of sequence barcodes has enabled high-throughput transcriptomic analysis of single cells. But one challenge remains ? there is no method to map the physical assessments of single cells and the downstream transcriptomic data of single cells to the same cells of origin. This is because currently sequence barcodes are only read by sequencing which takes place after all single cells are lysed, reverse transcription is completed, and cDNA are amplified and pooled. In order to perform transcriptomic analysis and physical assessments on the same single cells, we will need a method that allows us to decipher the sequence barcodes while in the process of single-cell physical interrogation. Our goal in this proposed research is to develop a new method to turn sequence barcodes into spectral barcodes that can be read locally in the process. The proposed sequence- barcode-reading technique, if it can be realized, will have substantial impact to the single-cell community as it will become the only method to map the physical assessments and the downstream molecular analysis data to the same cells of origin in a high-throughput, streamlined format.
High-throughput single-cell analysis has advanced our knowledge in developmental biology and disease origins. But currently there is no method to map the physical and transcriptional analysis data of single cells to the same cells of origin. Here we propose to develop a method to overcome this limitation and enable both physical and molecular interrogation performed on the same single cells.
