Single cell spatial epigenetic map of the solid tumour

Currently, it is possible to characterise the distribution of different cell types, the abundance and spatial coordinate of different cell types in solid tumours. Epigenetic regulation plays a central role in determining the cell fate.

Thus, to understand the molecular mechanism of tumorigenesis, we also need to decipher the spatial single cell epigenetic heterogeneity of the solid tissue.

Large efforts have been made in the single cell epigenetic profiling research to increase the throughput or to capture joint molecular events. So far, there are no available technologies to decipher single cell spatial epigenetic profiles in the solid tissue.

We will combine cross disciplinary approaches to develop single cell spatial epigenetic technologies for both frozen and formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) solid tissue, where we use novel strategies to tag epigenetic status in situ, and decipher single cell spatial chromatin accessibility, histone modifications and transcriptional factors binding.

Our work will offer a user-friendly toolbox for the scientific community to understand the cell fate decisions in basic research and for potential use in clinical diagnosis.

We will use our new technologies to decipher epigenetic regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in the intact tissue of metastatic human colorectal cancer (CRC).

The insight from our work could potentially offer molecular mechanism basis for the future target therapy in metastatic CRC.