Studying full length mRNAs at single-cell resolution

Single-cell methods are revolutionising biology. For instance, the journal Science distinguished the application of these methods to developmental biology as the Breakthrough of the Year 2018. The next decade will see an exponential increase in the development and the application of single-cell analysis methods to all areas of the bioscience, which will have transformative effects. Our project will contribute to implement an important aspect of the single cell revolution.
The development of a method that profiles full-length mRNAs at single-cell resolution is an urgent need for the single-cell field. The methods that we will develop will allow the study of processes of alternative splicing, RNA editing and alternative polyadenylation in single cells, revealing their dynamics in processes of cell differentiation, development and disease. Studying these with single-cell resolution is important to reconstruct their dynamics and establish their importance. This will impact the fields of stem cell biology, developmental biology and regenerative medicine, but also a broader community of biosciences researchers working in basic biological processes and models of disease.
Furthermore, this project will allow applying ONT long read sequencing technology to a state-of-the-art single-cell transcriptomic approach. ONT is a world leader in this type of sequencing, which is growing very fast in the last few years. Our project therefore will help implementing long read sequencing technologies in the biosciences.
Importantly, the development of such a method can also lead to biotechnological applications, and to further optimisation to develop commercial solutions to single-cell transcriptomics using ONT signature sequencing platform. The PhD student, at the end of the process, will have all the training in using the technology and single-cell transcriptomics and will therefore be in an ideal position for further developing this technology.