Nature Communications published a paper by BMI Professor and WID Investigator Sushmita Roy and graduate student Shilu Zhang that describes a computational tool called scMTNI, which will allow researchers to construct a more precise view of the mechanisms that drive cellular identity.
scMTNI combines the power of single-cell omics and machine learning to identify the gene regulatory networks that determine the type and identify of cells. Gaining better understanding of these gene regulatory networks will contribute to our understanding of both normal biological process and disease development.
Key applications of scMTNI are understanding the molecular underpinnings of cell transition from normal to disease states, increase the efficiency of strategies for addressing patient-specific disease models, and to better understand host-microbe interactions.
Congratulations to Sushmita and Shilu!
Link to Office of the Vice Chancellor of Research and Graduate Education news story: https://research.wisc.edu/uncategorized/2023/08/10/computational-tool-helps-trace-the-lifetime-of-a-cell/