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Talk Title:

Single-cell Spatial Omics Journey to Signaling and Metabolism of Immunity, Cancer, and Aging

Abstract:

The spatial organization of cells in tissues and subcellular networks provides a quantitative metric for determining health and disease states. Single-cell analyses of molecular profiles with in-situ detection methods dissect spatial heterogeneity of distinct cell types. Such detailed cellular digital maps shed light on the spatial regulation mechanisms of many disorders. The next challenge in spatial biology is to link the cellular functional responses to the cell identities in their native three-dimensional (3D) environments. To achieve this important goal, image-based multiparameter molecular profiling has the potential to decode “high-dimensional dynamics of signaling and metabolism” at the subcellular and molecular levels in complex tissues. In this talk, I will introduce spatial omics modalities (spatial genomics, spatial proteomics, and spatial metabolomics) to decipher and model the spatio-temporal decision-making of single cells at macromolecular resolution in engineered organoids and human tissues for (1) systems immuno-engineering and immune-aging, (2) subcellular precision oncology, and (3) personalized regenerative medicine applications. Automated machine learning algorithms (Graph networks, generative mathematics, and gene neighborhoods) in this single-cell big data impact biomedical practice and clinical care. In the last part of the talk, digital technologies interfacing with cellular interactive media will be presented using the virtual reality of 3D spatial omics. Single-cell biotechnologies and digital cellular media tools synergistically complement each other for next-generation bioengineering, crowd-sourced education, and collaborative discovery platforms.