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Introduction: Why Analyze Single Cells?

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Book cover Single-Cell Analysis

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 853))

Abstract

Powerful methods in molecular biology are abundant; however, in many fields including hematology, stem cell biology, tissue engineering, and cancer biology, data from tools and assays that analyze the average signals from many cells may not yield the desired result because the cells of interest may be in the minority—their behavior masked by the majority—or because the dynamics of the populations of interest are offset in time. Accurate characterization of samples with high cellular heterogeneity may only be achieved by analyzing single cells. In this chapter, we discuss the rationale for performing analyses on individual cells in more depth, cover the fields of study in which single-cell behavior is yielding new insights into biological and clinical questions, and speculate on how single-cell analysis will be critical in the future.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Dino Di Carlo, Henry Tat Kwong Tse & Daniel R. Gossett

Authors
  1. Dino Di Carlo
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  2. Henry Tat Kwong Tse
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  3. Daniel R. Gossett
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dino Di Carlo .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. POOLIA Sweden, Warfvinges väg 20, Stockholm, 104 25, Sweden

    Sara Lindström

  2. , Division of Nanobiotechnology, Royal Institute of Technology, Roslagstullsbacken 21, Stockholm, 106 91, Sweden

    Helene Andersson-Svahn

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Di Carlo, D., Tse, H.T.K., Gossett, D.R. (2012). Introduction: Why Analyze Single Cells?. In: Lindström, S., Andersson-Svahn, H. (eds) Single-Cell Analysis. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 853. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-567-1_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-567-1_1

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-61779-566-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-61779-567-1

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