About this Research Topic
Instead of averaging signals from bulk cells, single cell analysis has permitted us to reveal heterogeneity existed even within isogeneic cell populations. Single cell analysis has made and is continually making great progresses in terms of both discovery of new cellular phenomena in various kinds of research areas and novel platform innovation. New eukaryote cell types, specially in immune system and cancerous tumors, have been identified based on single cell analysis. Single cell analysis is also applied to prokaryote cells. In coping with today’s challenges, both for human or environmental health, it is expected that more and more researches will be carried out at single cell level. Specially, to fight back current COVID-19 pandemic, it is expected that single cell analysis will be used to identify effective drugs including T cells and antibodies. Along these discovery processes, it is also anticipated novel analysis method and platforms will be emerging.
It is therefore very timely to launch a Research Topic on cell-cell and cell-pathogen interactions by application of single cell analysis technology. Specific objectives and subtopics that will be specially welcome in this Research Topic include but are not limited to:
1. To gain new insights in terms of cellular phenomena within tumor microenvironment (TME). The TME is the environment around a tumor, including the surrounding blood vessels, immune cells, fibroblasts, signaling molecules and the extracellular matrix (ECM). The interactions between tumor cells and the surrounding immune cells as well as substrate cells, determinate the efficacy of immunotherapy. We hope that the application of single cell technology will provide a powerful tool to clarify and answer many puzzles that exist in this field.
2. To gain new insights into autoimmune diseases. We still need to understand the pathogenesis of many autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Combining single cell technology with other novel technologies like organoid modelling will improve our understanding of pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, as well as help design new strategies for the treatment of these diseases.
3. To gain new insights into host-pathogen interactions. Single cell technology has provided a powerful tool with unprecedented resolution, specificity and accuracy, for exploring host-pathogen interactions. At present, to fight back COVID-19 pandemic, it is expected that single cell technology will be used to identify effective drugs including T cells and antibodies. Also, we expect the application of single cell technology will be involved in many other host-pathogen interactions and thus provide new insights into their interactions.
4. Exploring the processes mentioned above, we believe that novel approaches and methods to single cell analysis will be developed and optimized. Thus this theme also would like to be a platform to share information on developments of novel approaches and methods to single cell analysis.
It is therefore very timely to launch a Research Topic on cell-cell and cell-pathogen interactions by application of single cell analysis technology. Specific objectives and subtopics that will be specially welcome in this Research Topic include but are not limited to:
1. To gain new insights in terms of cellular phenomena within tumor microenvironment (TME). The TME is the environment around a tumor, including the surrounding blood vessels, immune cells, fibroblasts, signaling molecules and the extracellular matrix (ECM). The interactions between tumor cells and the surrounding immune cells as well as substrate cells, determinate the efficacy of immunotherapy. We hope that the application of single cell technology will provide a powerful tool to clarify and answer many puzzles that exist in this field.
2. To gain new insights into autoimmune diseases. We still need to understand the pathogenesis of many autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Combining single cell technology with other novel technologies like organoid modelling will improve our understanding of pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, as well as help design new strategies for the treatment of these diseases.
3. To gain new insights into host-pathogen interactions. Single cell technology has provided a powerful tool with unprecedented resolution, specificity and accuracy, for exploring host-pathogen interactions. At present, to fight back COVID-19 pandemic, it is expected that single cell technology will be used to identify effective drugs including T cells and antibodies. Also, we expect the application of single cell technology will be involved in many other host-pathogen interactions and thus provide new insights into their interactions.
4. Exploring the processes mentioned above, we believe that novel approaches and methods to single cell analysis will be developed and optimized. Thus this theme also would like to be a platform to share information on developments of novel approaches and methods to single cell analysis.
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