New FWF project on Single Cell Multi-omics granted

Understanding how a single cell develops into a complex organism is one of the most fundamental questions in modern biology. While we know that genes provide the blueprint for life, the actual work within a cell is carried out by proteins. To truly understand how tissues form and how diseases develop, scientists need to look at both the genetic instructions and the resulting proteins simultaneously within individual cells. This joint project of the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP Vienna) and the FH Oberösterreich Campus Hagenberg aims to bridge this gap by developing a groundbreaking new workflow that allows researchers to study these two layers of life at the same time from the very same cell.

Currently, analyzing both genetic material and proteins from the very same single cell is technically extremely challenging. Our team is working to create a robust and automated system that can isolate individual cells and extract the necessary information with high precision. A major part of this initiative is the creation of user-friendly software. We want to ensure that scientists who are not experts in computer programming can still analyze and visualize this complex data easily. By using advanced technology, including artificial intelligence, we hope to uncover patterns in cellular development that were previously invisible.

To demonstrate the power of this new method, we are applying it to a specific mystery in developmental biology: how the nervous system begins to take shape. Using mouse models that mimic early brain and spinal cord development, we will investigate how cells decide to become different from one another. We are particularly interested in the very first moments when a symmetrical group of cells starts to break that symmetry to form specific regions of the nervous system. By tracking the daughters of the very first cells, we can see exactly which molecular signals drive these crucial early decisions.

This project brings together a diverse group of experts in protein research, genetic sequencing, software development, and developmental biology. By combining these strengths, we are creating a framework that can be used far beyond this specific study. Whether researching cancer, aging, or how the brain forms, this new "multi-omics" approach will provide a level of detail never seen before, helping us understand the building blocks of life with unprecedented clarity.