Using Single Cell And Spatial Transcriptomics To Investigate Kidney Development And Disease
Realizing the full potential of single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) in biomedical science has been hindered by the high cost of experiments, a lack of spatial context, and limited capacity to analyze the resulting data. This project will focus on developing robust methods and analysis pipelines to address these challenges in the context of kidney development and disease. Cost reductions will be sought by establishing pipelines to demultiplex pooled scRNA-seq samples. Optimized pooled sequencing methods will be used to generate comprehensive profiles of diseased human kidney tissue in partnership with Monash Medical Centre. Integrated analysis of scRNA-seq and novel spatial transcriptomic approaches will be used to assess signaling interactions within intact cellular communities. One focus will be the mechanisms of cell type specification during kidney development. Understanding how renal cell types form will guide the production of cell types currently missing from stem cell models of the human kidney. A second focus will be the molecular mechanisms underlying human kidney disease in adulthood.