SMARTer ICELL8 technology aids in single-nuclei sequencing of triple-negative breast cancer to uncover chemoresistance evolution

Mountain View, CA—May 8, 2018—A recent study including single-cell transcriptome analysis has revealed an evolutionary model of chemoresistance in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients. This groundbreaking work, led by Professor Nicholas Navin (The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center), was published in the May issue of Cell and utilized Takara Bio's SMARTer ICELL8 single-cell automation platform.

Professor Navin's team investigated phenotypic evolution in response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy using a combination of single-cell DNA and RNA sequencing. Their experimental design included using the SMARTer ICELL8 Single-Cell System to isolate extracted nuclei from frozen longitudinal samples from TNBC patients posttreatment, followed by single-nuclei RNA sequencing according to a protocol previously published in Nature Communications. They were able to leverage the automated, high-throughput nanowell dispensing and imaging capabilities of the SMARTer ICELL8 system to generate rich temporal gene expression data on clonal extinction or persistence in ~400–500 nuclei. This method generated 1.2 million reads and 4,000–5,000 genes detected per cell. Furthermore, unlike earlier studies exploring clonal evolution, the researchers were able to avoid batch effects by processing the samples in parallel.

"As next-generation sequencing makes strong strides in uncovering meaningful discoveries in clinical research, Takara Bio is pleased to contribute to impactful research that improves the understanding of cancer and its evolution," said Carol Lou, President of Takara Bio USA, Inc.