Our lives begin as a single cell. As stem cells divide, they form families that eventually give rise to all the tissues and organs of our body. In our lab, we trace these cellular family trees using unique marks in the cells’ own DNA, helping us understand development and disease.
reNEW research
Within the ScarLab at reNEW Leiden, we study how stem cells make decisions that determine their fate and function. We investigate this in different biological systems, including early development, the pancreas, and the brain. By adding unique markers to the DNA of cells and measuring RNA in individual cells, we can trace their history and identity. We then use computational approaches to reconstruct these cellular relationships and answer our research questions.
Image description
The graph shows cells linked by shared developmental origin, revealing the clonal architecture of gastruloids.
Credits
Twan de Winter, researcher, Alemany lab, reNEW Leiden.
Myrthe Berndsen, PhD candidate, Alemany lab, reNEW Leiden.
