Monosized Hydrogel Particles for Single Cell DNA Analysis

Offentlig prosjektsammendrag

Next generation DNA/RNA sequencing has emerged as a powerful diagnostic tool that allows for the detection of both potential risk factors as well as present maladies. This enables accurate communication to both patient and physician regarding suitable treatment. Traditionally, such techniques employ bulk samples of tissue or blood which has the drawback that rare mutations only present in a few cells tend to be missrepresented or not detected due to the large amount of other data. As such, an emerging technology meant to improve detection limits and distribution accuracy is found in the field of single cell analysis. Here, the DNA or RNA content of single cells is tagged with unique barcodes which integrates into current sequencing techniques to show which cells express mutations of interest. We aim to develop a new type of hydrogel particles of highly uniform size that are tailor made for use in single cell analysis. By leveraging the Ugelstad method of producing monosized polymer beads we will be able to provide a vital part of delivering consistent amounts of barcodes to cellular DNA without negative impact on workflow or performance.