Single cell transcriptomics of fetus derived cells
All human cells originate from a single fertilized egg and carry the same genome, yet their biological functions can differ significantly. The functional diversity of cells is primarily determined not by genomic changes, but by the expression of their genome - the transcriptome. Therefore, the analysis of gene expression in individual cells is of great importance in biological sciences and biomedicine as it drives better understanding of the development of healthy organs and tissues, the emergence of complex diseases or the resistance to therapies. While rapidly advancing single-cell technologies have improved our understanding of human biology, one of the least studied biological systems in human are the fetus cells, and in particular the cells of amniotic fluid. These cells are unique in that, once detached from the fetus, they remain floating in the amniotic fluid, but their role and function remains a mystery. It has been postulated that the composition of amniotic fluid cells may determine the further course of pregnancy, and predict a newborn's propensity for certain diseases, but there is no solid evidence for this. The analysis of such cells is also complicated by the fact that their quantity in biological fluids is very small, so most standard methods are not suitable for their capture and detailed analysis. Therefore, the goal of this project is to apply a high-throughput microfluidics technology to characterize transcriptomics of single-cells in amniotic fluid (i.e. detached from the fetus) and their possible biological functions. The results of the project would serve to: i) create a unique cell atlas that has no analogues yet; ii) generate new fundamental knowledge about human cell biology at an early stage of the organism development; and iii) detect cell gene expression programs that may serve as a diagnostic indicator for evaluating possible pregnancy complications or newborns' predisposition to certain diseases.
Funding: Research Council of Lithuania
Project duration: 2024-09-01 / 2026-08-31
