Chapter 4 - Single-Cell Technology for Human Gliomas

Abstract

Human gliomas are the most common primary central nervous system tumors, and they have a complex and heterogeneous structure that makes them difficult to treat. Recent studies of human gliomas have identified a number of different alterations and pathways that play a role in the development and progression of these tumors. Today, single-cell technology is already well established and broadly in use in cancer diagnosis. Single-cell technology has two steps: single-cell separation and single-cell analysis. Single-cell analysis provides the means to detect cancer cells such as circulating tumor cells and cancer stem cells, to analyze intratumor heterogeneity, to reveal the mechanism of tumor metastasis, to investigate epigenetic alterations, and finally to guide individualized treatment strategies. Integration of functional and genomic analysis at a single-cell level will be essential for understanding evolution and therapeutic resistance of human gliomas.