Clarkson University Chemistry Doctoral Student Sapan Patel Wins Scholarship for Single Cell Analysis Research

2015 Oct 2

A Clarkson University chemistry doctoral student won a $1,500 scholarship from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory to study single cell analysis, this summer.

Sapan Patel of Gujarat, India, attended a single cell analysis course this summer at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. Patel works in Clarkson Trustee Dr. Bayard D. Clarkson Sr.'s lab at the Sloan-Kettering Institute.

Patel said the experience was an excellent opportunity for him to learn the latest developments, methods and innovations in the field of single cell analysis.

Scientists had previously believed cell populations were homogenous, and genomics, trancriptomics or epigenomics measurements at population level were averaged, resulting in a loss of critical information that can only be obtained at the single cell level. Now, Patel said, several studies confirm that cell populations vary at the single cell level and the importance of studying them one cell at a time.

Patel said the course allowed him to learn more about technologies to analyze single cells, including transcriptomics, genomics, epigenomics, metabolomics, peptidomics, single cell western blotting, single cell stimulation, transfection and making probes against proteins with molecular evolution methods. Students in the course were also familiarized with upcoming technologies such as soft x-ray technology and how to characterize single cells in their natural microenvironment.

"The course included hands-on research as well as several lecturers demonstrating how to utilize different methods to characterize single cells," Patel said. "This course will be really helpful for me to understand some of the questions that we are trying to answer while studying cancer cell-to-cell communication, and it also will be helpful in my future career."

Patel thanks his mentors, Bayard D. Clarkson Sr. at Sloan Kettering Institute and Associate Professor of Chemistry & Biomolecular Science Costel Darie at Clarkson University, for their support and advice. Clarkson University launches leaders into the global economy.

One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company. Located just outside the Adirondack Park in Potsdam, N.Y., Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university for undergraduates with select graduate programs in signature areas of academic excellence directed toward the world's pressing issues. Through 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, sciences and the health professions, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo, and connect discovery and engineering innovation with enterprise.