UC Berkeley neuroscientists have now combined new techniques for sequencing the RNA in single cells with detailed statistical analysis to more easily track individual stem cells in the nose, uncovering clues that someday could help restore smell to those who have lost it. Ngai’s group teamed up with UC Berkeley statisticians and computer scientists – led by Sandrine Dudoit, Professor of Biostatistics and Statistics, Elizabeth Purdom, Professor of Statistics, and Nir Yosef, professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences – to develop a way to analyze the experimental data and identify cells with similar RNA profiles, indicative of specific cell types and developmental states. As a result, the team was able to trace the paths that cells take as they turn into sustentacular cells – which seems to be the default fate for olfactory stem cells – and into neurons and other types of cells.
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