Processes specific to cells that represent a minority in the context of a given sample can thus be identified, since their associated signals can escape being drowned out by those generated by the majority. The method is thus of significant interest to the study of tumour tissue, which contains a mix of cancer and normal cells.

"Hitting the proverbial needle in the haystack should now be possible," says Mats Nilsson. "This should entail significantly more sensitive and precise diagnostic methods, improving the prospects that patients will receive the treatment they need."

The method should also make possible various ways of studying the effects of genetic variants on different types of cells and tissues, something that is difficult with methods that rely on preparations comprising a multitude of tissue cells.

The researchers aim to extend the method to allow for parallel identification of multiple molecules and for analysis of biobank material.

Source: Uppsala University