Date: Friday, February 26, 2016
Time: 12:00 pm-1:00 pm
Speaker: Aviv Regev, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Affiliation: Department of Biology, MIT; Broad Institute; Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Talk Title: Towards a neuron cell atlas with single cell genomics
Abstract: Brain function relies on the substantial diversity of neurons, which have been classified in many ways, including cell morphology, location, electrophysiology, and molecular markers.  However, these classifications are yet to be either complete or unified. Profiling the transcriptome of individual neurons holds the potential for comprehensive mapping of cell types and dynamic transcriptional processes in the brain. The large number of expected neurons sub-types, their complex morphologies, and the many orders of magnitude that separate very abundant from very rare sub-types all pose substantial challenges for generating such a comprehensive atlas. Here, I will describe our efforts to develop and apply new experimental and computational strategies for single cell analysis of neurons, in the retina and the hippocampus. I will also discuss the prospects, challenges and approaches that can be used to build a comprehensive human cell atlas

Joint work with the labs of Joshua Sanes, Connie Cepko, Steven McCarroll, David Weitz and Feng Zhang