Paradigm shift in biological research: Cells turn into autobiographers

The idea is that cells can be engineered to "write" their own histories into their DNA, which can later be "read" to reconstruct a detailed record of each cell's origin and relationship, cell-to-cell interactions, its internal state of metabolism or vitality, and even physical locations in the tissue and organism. This approach has the potential to radically change how we study development, diseases, and cellular behaviour.

Engineered systems for DNA-recording

This development of creating ‘systems for DNA recording’ is driven by recent advances in genome engineering on the one hand and single-cell and spatial omics technologies on the other, which enable the recovery of the recorded information. The resulting large data sets then triggered advances in computational and phylogenetic inference algorithms, for which Tanja Stadler and her former PhD student Sophie Seidel provide the expertise.  

The applications in development and disease are broad. By recording (or ‘tracking’) the history of each cell in an organism, scientists will understand better how cells divide, differentiate, and organise during development. This will help to explain how complex tissues like the retina or organs like the liver are formed. Furthermore, the scientists will gain insights into cell variability. By comparing the 'recorded' data from different organisms or cells, they could uncover statistical patterns that explain genetic and environmental contributions to the variability in development.

The insights scientists gain from diseases yield much hope. Many diseases, and in particular developmental disorders, have complex causes. By recording the history of cells at multiple time points, researchers could track how genetic mutations lead to specific diseases, helping pinpoint critical moments when things go wrong.

Sensors or even therapeutics

One exciting future application is the engineering of 'memory sentinel cells' that live in the body and record various physiological or molecular signals. These cells could track cellular and molecular biomarkers for diseases like cancer or slow degenerative conditions such as Huntington disease or age-related macular degeneration over time.
Hence, they could keep organ systems under surveillance or – if engineered as 'active memory sentinel cells' – they could respond to certain conditions or deliver treatments only when needed.

While the potential is huge, the scientists point out that there are not only technological but also practical challenges to overcome, including how to safely implement DNA-based recording in living organisms and how to read these records in a reliable way. In the future, DNA recording systems have the potential to track the detailed histories of cells and use that data to understand complex biological processes and diseases. This technology could transform both basic research and clinical applications, offering new ways to study development, diagnose diseases early, and design more effective or even personalised treatments.