Marisa Asadian

Cells are heterogeneous and their function can be determined by the spatial variation in their gene expression. Capturing such information is key to differentiating between healthy vs diseased tissue. Additionally, in microorganisms, such as bacteria, studies on the spatial RNA heterogeneity will lead to a better understanding of their role in antibiotic resistance, virulence, and the human-bacteria interaction, which are still largely unknown. Using a custom-built Imaging-based High Resolution Spatial Transcriptomics (I-HiRST) technology with integration of expansion microscopy my aim is to develop methodologies to study the cellular and subcellular spatial network of biological systems and map the spatial organization of hundreds of RNA species in bacterial cells.