Meet Katharina Danielski, Field Application Scientist at 10x Genomics, who is an organiser and trainer at the EMBL Course: Immune Profiling of Single Cells (10 – 13 February 2020).

 

What is the greatest benefit of the course for the scientific community?

It provides researchers with an overview of what is currently possible when studying the immune system at the single-cell level. There are so many new technologies and methods available these days that scientists are overwhelmed with keeping track of everything new. The 10x Genomics Single-Cell Immune Profiling solution allows you to study a broad range of aspects all derived from the same single cell: sequence information of paired full-length T cell or B cell receptor transcripts; gene expression profile; cell surface protein markers; antigen specificity. Linking all these pieces of information back to the same cell is opening a lot of new ways to study the adaptive immune response that were just not possible before.

Are the methods used in this course unusual or new?

The ability to study single cells to the extent as it is currently possible with various assays on the market is still very recent. We are only beginning to scratch the surface of the biological information that will be uncovered in the coming years thanks to the methods discussed in this course, among others.

In comparison to other training environments, what do you enjoy most about teaching at EMBL?

I enjoy teaching at EMBL because of the high level of organisation that the EMBL team displays. The EMBL Heidelberg Campus is also a particularly beautiful location situated on top of a hill surrounded by forests. But most importantly: the food in the canteen is legen- wait for it -dary.

What is your number one tip related to the course?

Don’t be shy. The trainers are more than happy to answer your questions and discuss your projects and  experiments…but skip breakfast so you can fill up on lunch at the EMBL Canteen. You will thank me later.

What, in your opinion, is the most crucial scientific discovery of the past 100 years?

I don’t think any single discovery on its own could be labeled as “the most crucial”. Science in the past 100 years has made so many giant leaps for mankind.

Where is science heading in your opinion?

Studying gene expression of (single) cells spatially resolved within their morphological context of an intact tissue section.