Accurate cell signatures for the advancement of personalized medicine
| Title | Accurate cell signatures for the advancement of personalized medicine |
|---|---|
| Acronym | Cellphmed |
| Website | http://tronolab.epfl.ch/ |
| Start date | 2017-02-01 |
| End date | 2018-07-01 |
| Sponsor | European Research Council - Proof of Concept (ERC-PoC) |
Associated cell lines
Project Description
Patient/individual specific cells, including induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells will be crucial in defining tomorrow’s medicine owing to their uses in drug discovery, immunotherapy or cell therapy. These clinical applications require the utmost accurate and reliable identity and purity testing, however, the majority of cells stored worldwide fall short of a sufficient level of characterisation. This project aims at validatating and commercializing an innovative method of diagnostic and quality control for human cells. It is based on our unprecedented ability to measure the expression of millions of uncharted RNA biomarkers called TEs, genetic units that contribute over 50% of the genome but that have been completely disregarded until very recently, mainly due to the challenge imposed by their complex analysis. Our new methodology provides a high-density barcode of cellular identity, opening the door for individual-specific cells to broad applications in biotechnology and medicine alike.