Forward single-cell sequencing into clinical application: Understanding of cancer microenvironment at single-cell solution

Abstract

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is considered an important approach to understand the molecular mechanisms of cancer microenvironmental functions and has the potential for clinical and translational discovery and development. The recent concerns on the impact of scRNA-seq for clinical practice are whether scRNA can be applied as a routine measurement of clinical biochemistry to assist in clinical decision-making for diagnosis and therapy. Pushing single-cell sequencing into clinical application is one of the important missions for clinical and translational medicine (CTM), although there still are a large number of challenges to be overcome. The present Editorial as one of serials aims at overviewing the history of scRNA-seq publications in CTM, sharing the understanding and consideration of the cancer microenvironment at the single-cell solution and emphasising the objective of translating scRNA-seq into clinical application. The dynamic characteristics and patterns of single-cell identity, regulatory networks, and intercellular communication play decisive roles in the properties of the microenvironment, malignancy and migrative capacity of cancer cells, and defensive capacity of immune cells. The microenvironmental single-cell transcriptomic profiles and cell clusters defined by scRNA-seq have great value for exploring the molecular mechanisms of diseases and predicting cell sensitivities to therapy and patient prognosis.