Welcome to the Sikora Lab Front Range ILC Newsletter
We strive to create an environment to develop productive, responsible and collaborative members of the scientific community.
Thanks to generous donations to the Sikora Lobular Breast Cancer Research Fund (LBCRF, https://www.sikoralab.com/donate), the Lab recently acquired equipment, components, and computing resources to use a new research technology called ‘PIP-seq’.
Routine studies of cancer cell behavior usually rely on a tumor fragment or large collection of cells from the laboratory to obtain sufficient material for analysis. As a result, most studies essentially measure an ‘average’ from millions of cells. However, we know that cancer cells represent diverse populations that can respond and adapt to therapy differently. Recent advances allow for “single-cell” analysis of cancer cells, but most of these platforms are expensive and impractical for routine use.
‘PIP-seq’ is unique by creating an emulsion of cancer cells with the chemicals needed for single-cell analysis, all in a standard test tube. This approach is inexpensive and user-friendly, and will allow us to routinely perform single-cell analyses.
View our new video to learn more about this 'single-cell RNA sequencing' and how LBCRF support is helping the lab uncover lobular breast cancer biology toward improving patient care https://youtu.be/pnovkzhXQS4
This technology will let us delve deeper into understanding how lobular breast cancer cells grow, adapt, and evolve. We already have learned from single-cell analysis that a potential drug vulnerability in lobular cancer cells is hiding in plain sight. ILC do not appear drug sensitive based on routine analyses, but via single-cell analysis we find ILC cells go through a temporary cellular state where they are hypersensitive to certain drugs, and ILC cells die off as they eventually go through this sensitive state. This important drug vulnerability would be missed by standard approaches.
Stay tuned for more updates.
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Dr Sikora on X: @mjsikora The Lab on X: @SikoraLab
