The continuum of gene regulation at single cell resolution, from Drosophila development to human complex traits

Single-cell technologies have emerged as powerful tools for studying development, enabling comprehensive surveys of cellular diversity at profiled timepoints. They shed light on the dynamics of regulatory element activity and gene expression changes during the emergence of each cell type. Despite their potential, nearly all atlases of embryogenesis are constrained by sampling density, i.e., the number of discrete time points at which individual embryos are harvested. This limitation affects the resolution at which regulatory transitions can be characterized. In this talk, I present a novel cell collection approach capable of constructing a continuous representation of dynamic regulatory processes. I applied this approach to generate a continuous, single-cell atlas of chromatin accessibility and gene expression spanning Drosophila embryogenesis. Additionally, I will discuss my past and future research, applying new genomic technologies to characterize gene regulation important for human diseases.