Single cell analysis and modelling of cell population heterogeneity

Call for Papers

Submission deadline: August 1st August 7, 2016

Call for Poster abstracts

Submission deadline: November 14th, 2016

Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing
Jan 3-7 2017
Fairmont Orchid Resort
Big Island of Hawai'i

Motivation

 The ability to quantify molecular events with single cell resolution is intrinsically linked to analytical advances. Until recently, many of those variations could not be systematically studied because traditional molecular biology methods, such as PCR, Western Blotting, IP, genome sequencing, microarrays and RNA-seq, lacked single cell resolution. As an exception, the field of immunology has enormously benefitted from early adoption of the single-cell analysis by flow cytometry and FACS. Flow cytometry has been pivotal to detailed characterization of various immunological processes, such as blood cell development and activating and has enabled systematic mapping of the roles of various immune cell populations in health in disease states. Cytometry has always emphasized multiparametric analysis, distinguishing various cell populations by complex combinations of multiple markers on cells. A plethora of excellent computational methods aimed at flow data has been created over the last decades.

Recent advances in experimental techniques have greatly expanded the scope of single-cell analysis. Examples include:
  • Genomic sequencing in single cells
  • Single cell RNA-seq
  • Single molecule RNA sequencing in situ (FISSEQ)
  • Gene expression profiling by flow cytometry
  • Histo-cytometry
  • Multiplexed ion beam imaging (MIBI)
  • Mapping of chromatin state in single cells (scATAC-seq)
  • Cell morphology and motility analysis in cell cultures
  • Single cell western blotting

Topics

 This session welcomes submission on a broad range of topics relevant to single-cell analysis, including, but not limited to:
  • Automated mapping of cell types in the data.
  • Automated cell type classification and naming. Ontologies.
  • Accounting for systematic variability between biological replicates.
  • Correlating cell population structure to clinical features and prognosticating disease outcome.
  • Topology analysis of single cell data (tracing of shapes, trajectories, paths)
  • Extracting cells and cellular features from images
  • Tissue architecture modelling on a single cell level
  • Modelling of signaling and regulatory pathways from single-cell data
  • Visualization of single-cell data

Submission

 The scientific core of the conference consists of rigorously peer-reviewed full-length papers reporting on original work. Accepted papers will be published in an archival proceedings volume (fully indexed in PubMed), and a number of the papers will be selected for presentation during the conference. Researchers wishing to present their research without official publication are encouraged to submit a one-page abstract, and present their work in a poster session. Please note that the submitted papers are reviewed and accepted on a competitive basis. At least two reviewers will be assigned to each submitted manuscript.

Paper format

 Please see the PSB paper format template and submission instructions at http://psb.stanford.edu/psb-online/psb-submit/
Submitted papers are limited to twelve (12) pages in the PSB publication format.

Organizers

 Nikolay Samusik - Stanford University
Sean Bendall - Stanford University
Nima Aghaeepour - Stanford University

Key dates

 August 1st August 7th -- Call for papers deadline.
September 6th -- Paper reviews are sent back to the authors
September 12th -- Announcement of final paper decisions
November 14th -- Poster abstract submission deadline