CAREER: Hydrogel Phantom Tissue Based Spatiotemporal Transcriptomics

About This Grant

This CAREER project aims to develop a new method to better understand how cells are organized in tissues and how cells interact with each other over time. Recent advances in a technology called spatial transcriptomics have allowed scientists to study gene activity in tissue samples and see how cells are distributed within their environment. However, this technology currently provides only a snapshot of what is happening in the cells at a single moment, which limits our understanding of how cells change and respond to different conditions over time. To address this gap, this project will focus on creating a system that can track molecular changes in live tissue over time. This work aims to develop a new technology using a nanostructure (e.g., nanowires) to extract important molecules from live cells with minimal disturbance, allowing for repeated sampling and enabling longitudinal measurements. This will allow for continuous monitoring of cell activity and interactions, which can help scientists learn how cells develop, change, and respond to diseases. By improving the understanding of cellular behavior, this research has the potential to advance medical treatments, particularly for diseases that involve complex interactions between cells. This project also supports education and workforce development by training students in cutting-edge research techniques. The ultimate goal is to use this technology to improve healthcare and contribute to advances in science that benefit society and national well-being. Recent advancements in spatial transcriptomics have transformed understanding of cellular heterogeneity, enabling the identification of new cellular interactions and functional dynamics between different cell types and their microenvironments that were previously elusive. This technology allows researchers to study gene expression in the context of tissue architecture, providing a more complete understanding of the cellular function and interactions between cells. Although this method preserves the spatial information, it only offers a snapshot of gene expression at a single point in time, providing a static view of the dynamic biological processes. To fully understand the complex and temporal nature of tissue function and disease progression, it is essential to monitor molecular changes over time. Integrating spatial transcriptomics with longitudinal studies will be crucial for unraveling the continuous and evolving nature of cellular behavior. To address this limitation, the overall objective of this CAREER project is to develop a new method for the spatiotemporal monitoring of live tissue gene expression. This work proposes to develop a nanowire-based molecular transfer technology that can extract molecules from live cells and transfer them to a hydrogel to achieve spatiotemporal transcriptomics. By monitoring molecular changes within specific regions of tissue over time, researchers can gain valuable insights into how different cell types interact and respond to changes in the tissue microenvironment. This platform represents a significant advancement in our understanding of cellular behavior, particularly regarding cell development, differentiation, and disease pathogenesis. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.