Advanced Oligonucleotide Capture Beads

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) techniques are emerging as a tool that can support unprecedented cancer diagnostics.

scRNA-Seq techniques are critical for evaluating tumour heterogeneity at a single-cell level, providing rich data about the varying expression of genes within the 3D tumour environment. This feat is currently unobtainable using the whole-tissue transcriptomics investigational methods that are commonly deployed within hospital laboratories for diagnostic purposes, and by academic research groups for investigational purposes.

As such, scRNA-Seq holds the key to unlock cell-by-cell diagnostics that are needed to fully realise the ambitions of precision medicine.

Droplet-based scRNA-Seq (Drop-Seq) leads the emerging scRNA-Seq techniques. Drop-Seq deploys microfluidics to conjugate individual cells to oligonucleotide-barcoded capture microbeads, which are then encapsulated into aqueous droplets within an oil emulsion.

However, innovations in Drop-Seq and wider scRNA-Seq methods are limited by a worldwide shortage of the microbeads, which are currently manufactured by a sole global supplier.

This project will support ATDBio to develop microbeads exhibiting superior quality to the current microbeads offering, that perform better than the current state of the art, and that have additional uses outside of scRNA-Seq.