Saturday, February 24, 2024

Single-cell methods move from labs to clinic as part of becoming precision medicine

Good news! Amazing stuff! Going away from the heretofore common shot gun approach to sniper bullet in healthcare!

Cancer is history (soon)!

"Single-cell methods move from lab to clinic
High-resolution, single-cell methods are driving a quiet revolution ... The idea is at the heart of a recent agreement between US and Danish companies Cellarity and Novo Nordisk to investigate the underlying cellular dysfunction that causes a form of chronic fatty liver disease. A handful of early studies suggest that single-cell biology might help realize the promise of precision medicine: to accurately match an individual patient to the therapies from which they are most likely to benefit."

"... The hope is that this shift away from molecular targets and toward identifying the underlying cellular dysfunction will offer deep insights into the biology of the condition, which will, in turn, lead to improved therapies. ...
Because of the exquisite sensitivity of single-cell analysis in detecting biological signals, its potential is likely to spill over into myriad areas of medicine too. At this point, single-cell analysis is nowhere near routine clinical practice, but a handful of pioneering studies points to its potential in realizing the largely unattained goal of precision medicine — that is, accurately matching an individual patient to the therapies from which they are most likely to benefit.  ...
Single-cell spatial transcriptomics adds a further layer of analytical resolution. It allows researchers to pinpoint the locations of different cell types within a tissue sample while also identifying their gene expression profiles. The two main approaches involve either sequencing methods, in which tissue sections are analyzed on pixelated surfaces containing barcoded DNA primers, or imaging-based methods, involving fluorescence in situ hybridization or in situ sequencing. ... Single-cell spatial analysis has resulted in strong growth for instrument maker 10x Genomics, which sold 100 of its Xenium systems within eight months [August 2023] of the product’s launch. These analyzers provide users with richly detailed visualizations of tissue sections. ...
Exscientia, of Oxford, UK, is throwing its weight behind another foundational technology: high-throughput single-cell imaging. When combined with machine learning, it can yield important insights into the status of a cell exposed ex vivo to a drug. This approach to drug discovery is inherently unbiased — it does not require prior knowledge of the genomic profile of a cancer to recommend a particular course of action but relies instead on artificial intelligence-driven image analysis of cells following their exposure. The company gained the technology through its acquisition of Vienna-based Allcyte in 2021. ..."

Can single-cell biology realize the promise of precision medicine? | Nature Biotechnology Biology’s quiet revolution is underway, as single-cell tools fuel the next-wave of drug discoveries and promise to match therapies to the individual.







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