Spatial Genomics
spatial genomics
In vivo scalable investigation of gene functions in the brain
Spatial and Single Cell Genomics for Next Generation Neuroscience
The advent of next generation sequencing ushered in a ten-year period of exuberant technology development, enabling the quantification of gene expression and epigenetic features within individual cells, and within intact tissue sections. In this seminar, I will outline our technological contributions, beginning with the development of Drop-seq, a method for high-throughput single cell analysis, followed by the development of Slide-seq, a technique for measuring genome-wide expression at 10 micron spatial resolution. Using a combination of these techniques, we recently constructed a comprehensive cell type atlas of the adult mouse brain, positioning cell types within individual brain structures. I will discuss the major findings from this dataset, including emerging principles of neurotransmission, and the localization of disease gene signatures to specific cell types. Finally, I will introduce a new spatial technology, Slide-tags, that unifies single cell and spatial genomics into a single, highly scalable assay.
Novel Tools for Spatial and Temporal Genomics
The precise spatial localization of molecular signals within tissues richly informs the mechanisms of tissue formation and function. Here, we’ll introduce Slide-seq, a technology which enables transcriptome-wide measurements with near-single cell spatial resolution. We’ll describe recent experimental and computational advances to enable Slide-seq in biological contexts in biological contexts where high detection sensitivity is important. More broadly, we’ll discuss the promise and challenges of spatial transcriptomics for tissue genomics. Lastly, we’ll touch upon novel molecular recording technologies, which allows recording of the absolute time dynamics of gene expression in live systems into DNA sequences.