Research & Development We are
committed to being on the leading edge
R&D is at the heart of Single Cell Discoveries. We pioneered the SORT-seq, VASA-seq, and Discovery-seq methodologies and are driven to keep innovating new ways to study single-cell multi-omics and spatial modalities. Our team is continuously working to implement better protocols that improve the accuracy, resolution, flexibility, and ultimately value of our services.
Overview
An expert team driving
innovation and versatility
We are driven to innovate
Our team has deep experience with the technology and an insatiable curiosity that keeps our services futureproof by optimizing our methods, assimilating new protocols, and upgrading our infrastructure.
We like challenges
Our R&D unit is eager to work on your non-standard project, whether it is a novel application, a tough tissue, or an uncommon species requiring technological tinkering. We say "yes" to challenges others reject.
We keep you ahead of the curve
We are dedicated to offering clients the most advanced technologies in the single-cell and spatial field to give them an edge against the competition and accelerate their therapeutics towards the clinic.
We consistently evolve
Our R&D team is always working on adaptations to our current services to improve client experience and elevate data quality. Recently, we have introduced automated nuclei isolation, targeted amplification, and fixed RNA profiling.
THE R&D TEAM
Meet our experts
Click on a profile to read more personal info.
Dylan Mooijman
Head of R&D
Dylan Mooijman, PhD, leads the research and development team responsible for developing new technologies and improving current methods.
He brings a hefty 10 years of experience with single-cell technologies to the team, which he gained as a postdoc and HFSP fellow at EMBL Heidelberg (Ephrussi lab) and PhD student in the Van Oudenaarden lab (Hubrecht Institute).
Sabine Tanis
TEAM LEAD METHOD DEVELOPMENT
Sabine Tanis, PhD, is Team Lead Method Development in the R&D department and is responsible for enhancing current protocols, developing new methods, and supporting demanding customer requests.
Before working at SCD, she worked as a postdoc at the Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences in Nijmegen, studying keratinocyte biology through multi-modal single-cell sequencing methods.
Oriol Llorá Batlle
PERSIST-SEQ SCIENTIST
Oriol Llorá Batlle, PhD, is responsible for coordinating the efforts of SCD within the PERSIST-SEQ consortium. He loves challenges and using cutting-edge technologies to address challenging questions.
He obtained his BSc degree in Biology at the University of Girona and his MSc and PhD in Biomedical Research at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. Before joining SCD, he was working at the University of Cambridge doing research on developmental biology.
Darina Šikrová
R&D SCIENTIST
Darina Šikrová, PhD, works as a scientist in our R&D department, where she is working on improving the currently offered methods as well as developing new ones.
Born and raised in Slovakia, she obtained her BSc in Biology there and, afterward, her MSc in Molecular Biology and Genetics in the Czech Republic. After that, she moved to the Netherlands to get her PhD at Leiden University Medical Centre on a gene therapy approach to Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.
Doreth Fransen
AUTOMATION SCIENTIST
Doreth Fransen works as an Automation Scientist in our R&D department. Currently, she focuses on managing and testing new robotic solutions to automate our current and new techniques.
Prior to joining Single Cell Discoveries, she completed her Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Biotechnology (with a major in Forensic Sciences) at Van Hall Larenstein and graduated with her Master's in Biology of Disease at Utrecht University.
Stefani Giacopazzi
DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR
Stefani Giacopazzi is originally from California where she completed her BSc in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology at UCSC. She moved to the Netherlands for love in 2020. She began her career at SCD as a laboratory technician, before transitioning to R&D.
While helping SCD implement LIMS, she discovered her inner nerd's love for relational databases. As database admin, her focus now is helping her fellow scientists leverage software solutions to automate and optimize their workflows, so they can focus on the science.
When she’s not spending time immersed in the world of data modeling and optimization, she can be found cooking, traveling, and caring for her small jungle at home
Amalia Riga
AUTOMATION SCIENTIST
Amalia Riga, PhD, is responsible for setting up and implementing lab automations to improve and scale up Single Cell Discoveries’ workflows.
Before joining SCD, she was an automation scientist at Hudson River Biotechnology, Wageningen, and obtained her PhD on a Marie Curie Fellowship studying the role of basal polarity regulators using C. elegans at Utrecht University. Born and raised on the island of Corfu in Greece, she completed her Bachelor's in the School of Biology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and her Masters in the Medical School of the University of Crete.
Recent publications
Cardiovascular Research
Nuclear factor of activated T-cells 5 is indispensable for a balanced adaptive transcriptional response of lung endothelial cells to hypoxia
Cell Reports Medicine
Myeloid cells coordinately induce glioma cell-intrinsic and cell-extrinsic pathways for chemoresistance via GP130 signaling
Case studies
Pioneering 10x Flex on OCT-Embedded Patient Brain Tissue
10x Genomics opened the gates for single-cell sequencing on non-fresh, non-thawed tissue with their Chromium Single Cell Gene Expression Flex (10x Flex) kit. Now, we have been successful in performing…
Immune Profiling of atherosclerosis reveals new therapeutic potential
A team of scientists uses 10x Genomics Single Cell Immune Profiling to characterize T cells in the atherosclerotic plaque. Their results redefine atherosclerosis as an autoimmune disease.
Mechanism of disease: a new hypothesis for atherosclerosis
To elucidate atherosclerosis’ mechanism of disease, Sheffield University researchers analyzed the transcriptomes of single endothelial cells.
COLLABORATIONS AND CONSORTIA
Partnerships play a dual role in our operations. In alignment with our vision, we work on projects that help adapt single-cell applications to diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Meanwhile, we access resources and experience that fuel our own evolution.
Blog posts
Single-cell CRISPR Screen – Perturbations at scale
Single-cell CRISPR (scCRISPR) screens have quickly become a game-changer in genomics. scCRISPR screening enables researchers to delve deeply into the functional consequences of gene perturbations at the single-cell level. While…
When and How to Leverage Bioinformatics Consulting Services
Rising to the challenges of single-cell data analysis can be illuminating, or it can be tiresome. That depends on the context of your project, team, skills, and schedule. How do…
Single-Cell Sequencing in Clinical Trials: Phase-II Studies
Today, single-cell RNA sequencing in Phase-II clinical trials serves one main goal. It is used to further develop an understanding of an authorized drug’s mechanism of action, which results are…
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