Invited Paper BI-FrM1
Tools and Platforms for Single-Cell Biology

Friday, October 19, 2007, 8:00 am, Room 609

Genome sequence data enable global, high throughput approaches that link genomic differences to the physiological outcomes that ultimately lead to disease. However, the Achilles heel of global approaches is reliance on averaged cell populations. It is becoming increasingly clear that cells are highly heterogeneous in both gene expression and phenotype. Cellular heterogeneity confounds the interpretation of the link between genomics, phenotype, and disease and also the interpretation of response to therapeutic intervention. In fact, heterogeneity underlies most failures of current therapies for cancer. In order to realize the promise of genomics in curing major diseases, it will be necessary to elucidate pathways involved in disease at the single-cell level, to both understand and manipulate the inherent heterogeneity. The goal of the Microscale Life Sciences Center (MLSC) is to develop cutting edge technology for multi-parameter analysis of single cells, and apply this technology to the understanding of biological questions characterized by cellular heterogeneity. The current focus is on disease pathways, and the vision is to address pathways to disease states directly at the individual cell level, at increasing levels of complexity that progressively move to an in vivo understanding of disease. This presentation provides an overview of the activities in the Center and efforts undertaken to this date to develop automated platforms for trapping and manipulation of single cells, micro-scale and nano-scale photonic methods to measure cells parameters such as oxygen consumption, single-cell protein analysis, and nano-scale electronic methods to monitor extracellular molecular traffic