Cancer tissue is not composed of a single cell type, but rather a genetically and phenotypically diverse population of cells. This intratumor heterogeneity greatly affects drug efficacy and metastatic susceptibility, making detailed analysis of this heterogeneity important.Using single cell genomics, our laboratory aims to identify and characterize specific cell populations involved in drug resistance and metastasis.
The immune system is a complex system that protects living organisms from pathogens and foreign substances, and a wide variety of immune cell types function in concert. Single-cell genomics makes it possible to analyze the diversity and functions of immune cells at the individual cell level, which has been difficult until now. In immune responses, the dynamics of immune cells are constantly changing, such as their activation, proliferation, and differentiation in response to specific stimuli. Using techniques such as single-cell RNA sequencing, our laboratory traces the dynamics of cell populations in immune responses in a time-series manner to elucidate their mechanisms.
The brain is a highly complex organ composed of hundreds or more diverse neuronal and glial cell types. Single-cell genomics reveals the diversity of cells in the brain and enables their functional classification. This will lead to a better understanding of the brain's complex network. Neuronal circuit formation and synaptic plasticity, which are responsible for information transfer between neurons, are important phenomena underlying higher brain functions such as learning and memory. Our laboratory aims to elucidate these molecular mechanisms at the gene expression level through single cell analysis.