Human genomics is complex. With new, scalable tools, we are unraveling that complexity. For example, we don’t just each have one genome; we have trillions, as each cell has a unique genome. Analyzing biology at the single-cell level continues to be one of the major frontiers in research.

To learn how Single Cell Discoveries (SCD), a contract research organization in Utrecht, the Netherlands, has scaled and innovated in this field, Theral sits down with Mauro Muraro, cofounder and CEO of SCD. Muraro discusses the company's origins as a small university lab and its rapid growth due to increasing demand for single-cell and multiomic applications in biotech and pharma.

The conversation delves into the transformative potential of single-cell technologies, addressing key topics like identifying rare cell types, single-cell atlases, and the challenges of handling the enormous data generated from these analyses. Muraro explains how Single Cell Discoveries is advancing the field with cutting-edge techniques, such as spatial transcriptomics and high-throughput sequencing, to push the boundaries of biological research and drug discovery.

Why does a single cell require such a large sequencing capacity? What are the challenges in finding new higher-quality targets for pharma? And how does SCD aim to push the boundaries of current single-cell technologies?

One of the ways SCD helps pharmaceutical companies is by stratifying tissue by cell type to better find targets that will work. Muraro tells of a client working on neurodegenerative diseases who says, "It’s like doing a clinical trial in a dish."

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