CAREER: Reverse engineering the inflammatory signaling network from single-cell data

先天性免疫系统是一组细胞及其产物，保护人类和其他有机体免受入侵的病原体的侵袭。当先天免疫细胞功能异常时，它们会向邻近细胞分泌错误的信号，从而导致自身免疫性疾病和癌症。然而，如果药物可以专门针对先天免疫细胞，使它们恢复健康状态，那么就有可能利用它们来治疗这些疾病。与生俱来的免疫反应--就像许多其他生物系统一样--因为并非所有细胞对相同的刺激做出完全相同的反应，尽管这些细胞在基因上是相同的。这个职业奖的目标是通过测量单细胞中的噪音信号和分泌来更好地了解先天性免疫系统，以发现它们是如何共同作用来产生保护性免疫反应的。这项研究将使用新的实验工具，如微流控设备，允许测量来自单个细胞的许多生物信号。计算模型将被用来解释这些复杂的单细胞数据集，并开发关于天然免疫系统调节的新假设，以及修改天然免疫系统以治疗疾病的新方法。有效的免疫反应需要先天免疫系统和获得性免疫系统细胞之间的广泛沟通。巨噬细胞在调节免疫反应中发挥着重要作用，它在微生物产物(如脂多糖)的刺激下，通过执行一系列精心安排的促炎和抗炎细胞因子来调节免疫反应。最近，人们发现先天免疫细胞内信号和分泌反应存在显著的细胞间异质性。这一职业奖项的目标是检验以下假设：1)信号动力学调节分泌异质性；2)细胞间异质性通过旁分泌(即细胞到邻近细胞)信号在种群中转化为快速和可靠的反应。为了探索这些假说，研究人员将使用最先进的单细胞分析实验工具，包括一个集成的微流控设备，用于对相同单细胞中的信号、转录动力学和分泌进行活细胞成像。这些数据将被用来对不同的“分泌程序”进行分类(特定目标1)，识别不同转运的细胞因子从转录到分泌的异质性来源(特定目标2)，并开发适合于单细胞数据的信号、细胞因子分泌和扩散的数学模型，以预测出现的群体行为(特定目标3)。这一结果将对免疫学、癌症和其他领域产生重大影响，并可能建议改进策略，专门调节先天免疫反应来治疗疾病。像这项研究中使用的微流控工具不仅能够发现新的生物机制，而且还提供了有趣和有形的方式来学习生物学和工程学的基本技能。因此，该职业奖将支持一项教育倡议，通过为大纽黑文地区的高中生提供暑期推广计划，增加多样性和对工程的参与。具体地说，研究人员将使用微流控设备来吸引高中生，并通过开发暑期教学模块(贯穿耶鲁大学的科学之路计划)和暑期实验室实习，向他们传授免疫学、生物学和工程学的基本概念。这种实践方法对于招聘和留住更多样化的科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)大学毕业生群体至关重要。

1454301Miller-Jensen, Kathryn The innate immune system is the group of cells and their products that protect humans and other organisms against invading pathogens. When innate immune cells function abnormally, they can contribute to autoimmune diseases and cancer by secreting incorrect signals to neighboring cells. However, if drugs could specifically target the innate immune cells to return them to a healthy state, then it may be possible to harness them to treat these diseases. The innate immune response - like many other biological systems - is complicated by the fact that not all cells respond exactly the same way to the same stimulus, even though the cells are genetically identical. The goal of this CAREER award is to better understand the innate immune system by measuring noisy signals and secretion in single cells to discover how they work together to produce a protective immune response. This research will use novel experimental tools such as microfluidic devices, that permit measurement of many biological signals from single cells. Computational modeling will be used to interpret these complex single-cell data sets and develop new hypotheses about innate immune system regulation and new ways to modify the innate immune system to treat disease. An effective immune response requires extensive communication between cells of the innate and adaptive immune systems. Macrophages play a major role in regulating the immune response by executing a well-orchestrated cascade of secreted pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines upon stimulation by microbial products, such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Recently, it has been discovered that there is significant cell-to-cell heterogeneity in innate immune intracellular signaling and secretion responses. The goal of this CAREER award is to test the hypotheses that 1) signaling dynamics regulate secretion heterogeneity; and 2) intercellular heterogeneity is converted to rapid and reliable responses in the population via paracrine (i.e., cell-to-neighbor cell) signaling. To explore these hypotheses, the researchers will use state-of-the-art experimental tools for single-cell analysis, including an integrated microfluidic device for live-cell imaging of signaling, transcriptional dynamics and secretion in the same single cells. These data will be used to classify heterogeneous 'secretion programs' (Specific Objective 1), identify sources of heterogeneity from transcription to secretion across differentially trafficked cytokines (Specific Objective 2), and to develop a mathematical model of signaling, cytokine secretion, and diffusion fit to single-cell data to make predictions about emergent population behavior (Specific Objective 3). The results will have significant implications for immunology, cancer, and beyond, and may suggest improved strategies for specifically modulating the innate immune response to treat disease. Microfluidic tools like the ones used in this research not only enable discovery of new biological mechanisms, but also provide fun and tangible ways to learn foundational skills in biology and engineering. Therefore, this CAREER award will support an educational initiative to increase diversity and participation in engineering through a summer outreach program for high school students in the greater New Haven area. Specifically, the researchers will use microfluidic devices to engage high school students and teach them basic concepts in immunology, biology and engineering through development of a summer teaching module (run through Yale's Pathways to Science Program) and summer lab internships. Such hands-on approaches are critical to recruit and retain a more diverse group of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) college graduates.