10x Genomics Blog

With over 600 syndromes impacting the central nervous system (CNS), an estimated one in three people worldwide are affected by some kind of neurological disorder (1, 2). Collectively, these disorders were the leading cause of disability and the second leading cause of death in 2016 (3). Although the symptoms and severity of each disorder vary greatly, the presence of chronic or uncontrolled neuroinflammation appears to be a common feature of many of these conditions.   

As the innate immune cells of the CNS, responsible for immune surveillance and macrophage-like activities, microglia are a key cell population of interest to researchers studying neuroinflammatory processes (4). In this blog post, we review two recent studies aiming to dissect the role of microglia and neuroinflammation in multiple sclerosis and neurological disorders characterized by the accumulation of tau protein, or tauopathies.

Late last year, we launched the Visium Spatial Gene Expression for FFPE Challenge, asking researchers to submit their most innovative ideas for research using our spatial capture technology to analyze FFPE samples. We heard from leading scientists across the globe with exciting concepts for new research projects. Thank you to everyone who sent in proposals—it was challenging to pick just one! However, one project left us feeling particularly inspired.

Intravenous or subcutaneous? Scientists from the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institutes of Health recently demonstrated that location of administration matters when it comes to personalized cancer vaccines. In their comparison of the two vaccination strategies, they identified a stem-like CD8+ T-cell population elicited by intravenous injection that has greater capacity to proliferate and replenish effector T cells, and kill tumor cells in combination with immune checkpoint therapy. Learn how a single cell view of the T-cell response to personalized cancer vaccines supported their conclusions.   

To celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2021 on Thursday, February 11, we feature one scientist, Beth Stevens, PhD, who has mentored and inspired many people, from former postdocs to colleagues in academia, industry, and beyond.

In honor of World Cancer Day, we are spotlighting ongoing research into multiple myeloma, a blood cancer caused by overactive plasma cells in the bone marrow that crowd out healthy blood cells and weaken bone integrity. Learn how single cell technology is helping researchers explore the dynamic cellular composition of the tumor immune microenvironment over the course of disease progression and identify new potential targets for therapeutic intervention. In addition, find out more about the Immune Atlas initiative spearheaded by the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and five collaborating institutions—a research effort determined to advance precision immunotherapies for multiple myeloma through large-scale single cell immune profiling studies.

From February 8–12, 2021, 10x Genomics will host a Global Cell Therapy Virtual Symposium, which will gather leading immuno-oncology scientists to discuss their research using single cell techniques. In this blog post, we describe work from the lab of Michael Green, PhD, who is one of the event’s featured speakers. His lab recently published research that used single cell technologies to study the infusion products of patients undergoing CD19 CAR T-cell therapy for large B-cell lymphomas, and how specific cell phenotypes might be predictive of efficacy and toxicity.

From February 8–12, 2021, 10x Genomics will host a Global Cell Therapy Virtual Symposium, which will bring together leading scientists in the cancer immunotherapy space to share their findings using single cell technologies. In this blog post, we highlight work from one of the event’s featured speakers, Ansuman Satpathy, MD, PhD, whose lab recently published research revealing a new mechanism for how CD19 CAR T-cell therapy may cause neurotoxicity in a subset of patients with B-cell malignancies.

In the largest to date single cell study of whole, living microglia cells, a research team from Columbia University Medical Center discovered a curious reduction in the proportion of a distinct microglia subtype in the cortical tissues of Alzheimer’s disease patients. Learn how single cell gene expression analysis supported their investigation of microglial diversity and function in the aging human brain affected by neurodegenerative disease.

In recent years, there have been major advances in the field of cancer immunotherapy; however, progress has been limited by bureaucracy. To address this challenge, 10x Genomics and PICI are partnering to accelerate the pace of research in immuno-oncology by promoting collaborative research using single cell analysis. This partnership attempts to marry the transformative power of 10x Genomics technology with PICI’s track record of mobilizing multidisciplinary teams to tackle notoriously challenging questions. Read more about the partnership and some of its inaugural collaborations.

10x Genomics partners with the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy

Working together is not new to life science researchers. Collaborative efforts and joint initiatives are becoming increasingly important as research accelerates translation of new discoveries to the clinic. Now, with single cell technologies driving biological insights and enabling a deeper understanding of human health and disease, areas at the forefront of medicine are taking notice, including immuno-oncology.

From COVID-19 to cardiogenesis, we’re highlighting some of our favorite articles from last year. Rediscover our top blog posts of 2020.