CUSTOM PUBLISHING

Single-cell genomics has progressed rapidly over the last decade since the development of single-cell DNA-sequencing (scDNA-seq) and single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) methods. The development of high-throughput systems such as nanowells, microdroplets, and microfluidic platforms has enabled thousands of cells to be sequenced in parallel—reducing costs to less than USD 1 per cell. Single-cell sequencing (SCS) methods offer many advantages over traditional “bulk” DNA-seq and RNA-seq approaches, which are limited to providing a mixed signal that represents many cell types in the microenvironment or an amalgamation of tumor clones with different genotypes.

SCS has impacted many areas of cancer research, improving our understanding of invasion in premalignant disease, intratumor heterogeneity, the tumor microenvironment, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. Several areas of cancer medicine will be transformed by SCS, including early-detection diagnostics and risk stratification, drug target discovery, targeting the microenvironment, targeting tumor clones, and noninvasive monitoring. In the same way that next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have transformed modern oncology over the last decade, SCS methods will impact many areas of cancer research and will become a common tool in cancer centers.

This webinar discusses several cancer research studies, including a case study involving a rare form of melanoma in which resident memory T cells changed their responses after immune checkpoint blockade as well as another study that documents tissue-resident populations in breast cancer patients. Emerging technologies and future clinical applications that are bound to transform cancer research and medicine will also be mentioned.

During the webinar, viewers will:

• Learn about current and emerging SCS technologies
• Hear how SCS has changed cancer research and medicine
• Learn how SCS technologies were applied to study both melanoma and breast cancer
• Be able to submit their questions to the experts during the live broadcast.

This webinar will last for approximately 60 minutes.

Medical systems around the world are at capacity. Patients frequently complain that their doctors spend insufficient time with them to really understand their ailments. Furthermore, doctors are hesitant to admit that they do not know a patient’s diagnosis. Time constraints and financial pressures push doctors to make quick diagnoses and get the patient out the door. For patients with rare diseases, the situation is even more trying. The average delay for a patient to receive a diagnosis is 5 to 7 years, during which time they will have seen an average of over seven different doctors. Often forgotten are the humanistic burdens of the diagnostic odyssey. Imagine not being able to find the cause of your child’s suffering for years on end. Imagine the stress, the pain, the frustration, and a growing sense of hopelessness in the wake of that suffering. In addition, the psychological burden for the patient and caregivers is huge, affecting their emotional and mental well-being, which in turn impacts their ability to properly care for their loved one. Add to this the financial burden that can be accrued by a family going from one health care provider to another seeking answers.

How best to support patients with a rare disease is ill-defined. Medical teams, especially doctors, are often insufficiently trained to explain to patients that they do not have the answers—or even know how to get them. Health care systems are not equipped to provide the psychological and social support patients need. Genetic counseling is complex in the setting of undiagnosed patients. Layered on this is the complexity of supporting the mental or physical disabilities that many patients with a rare disease must manage, whether they have a diagnosis or not.The humanistic support of patients with rare diseases and their families needs to improve. In this webinar, we’ll meet experts who struggle with these issues and can help guide us on how to do better.

This webinar will last for approximately 60 minutes.

Stress granules (SGs) are a type of biomolecular condensate that consist of membraneless compartments formed in cells through liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS). They have been shown to concentrate proteins such as RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) to enable biochemical reactions. When cells are exposed to acute biotic and abiotic stress, nuclear RBPs translocate to the cytoplasm and nucleate to form SGs and promote cell survival. Mutations in SG proteins, including TIA1, FUS, TDP43, and hnRNPA1, have been observed in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), indicating a potential link between the mechanisms that regulate LLPS and disease progression. Studies suggest that the SG liquid–liquid state undergoes an aberrant phase transition to a more solid-like state, potentially leading to the formation of tau and other protein aggregates. Thus, further understanding of the mechanisms that control LLPS, such as nucleocytoplasmic transport or posttranslational modification, presents a new paradigm for aggregate formation that can lead to new, transformative therapeutics.

During the webinar, viewers will:

• Learn about different factors influencing SG dynamics
• Hear about recently discovered phase separation mechanisms regulating SG proteins implicated in ALS and FTD
• Gain insight into the link between SG behavior and neurodegenerative disease
• Be able to ask questions during the live broadcast.

This webinar will last for approximately 60 minutes.