1081-Microbial Single-Cell Omics In Situ

Researchers have developed a new method called Laser-Induced Forward Transfer (LIFT) to perform high-quality single-cell genomics and transcriptomics on microbes within their natural environments. This technique allows for the precise isolation of individual bacteria from complex samples, such as human saliva, mouse gut tissues, and cancerous tumors, using automated imaging and Raman spectral fingerprints. By bypassing the limitations of traditional microfluidics, the study successfully mapped cell-fate commitment during bacterial sporulation and identified specific metabolic activities in tissue-resident microbes. The approach is particularly significant because it enables de novo assembly of genomes and transcriptomes without requiring prior knowledge of the species. Ultimately, this in situ technology provides a deeper understanding of host-microbe interactions and the functional diversity of microbial populations in clinical and environmental settings.

References:

• Lan X, Liang Q, He J, et al. Microbial single-cell omics in situ[J]. Cell Genomics, 2026.