Single-Cell RNA-Seq Analysis Identifies Rare Drug-Resistant Cancer Stem Cells

Single-Cell RNA-Seq Analysis Identifies Rare Drug-Resistant Cancer Stem Cells

Cell populations are rarely homogeneous or synchronized in their characteristics, and important biological signals can be masked by population averaging. Standard bulk RNA-Seq approaches are limited to reporting overall expression levels, often omitting low-frequency or rare cell subpopulations. This study highlights how single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) enables the identification of rare drug-resistant cancer cells, detailed characterization of their transcriptomes, and the discovery of potential biomarkers that are not detectable using conventional bulk sequencing methods.

This case study discusses:

• Detection of rare cancer cell subpopulations associated with drug resistance
• Use of the 10x Genomics Chromium™ platform for high-throughput single-cell analysis
• Application of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to resolve transcriptional heterogeneity
• Identification of gene expression profiles in low-frequency, drug-resistant cell populations