Research Divisions

Single-Cell Center (Group Cluster)
Introduction

Single-Cell Center consists of over 90 specialists from single-cell genomics, synthetic biology, microfluidics, bioinformatics, optical engineering and precision instrumentation. We have introduced novel concepts for single-cell metabolic phenomes such as ‘ramanome’, ‘meta-ramanome’ and ‘MIC-MA’. We invented the Single-cell Analysis Instrument Series, including Ramanome/meta-ramanome Intelligent Analyzer, Raman-Activated Cell Sorter, RACS-Seq, FlowRACS, EasySort, etc.). We develop single-cell and metagenomics big-data software such as Microbiome Search Engine (www.mse.ac.cn) and (MP-G)n. These innovations are supporting screening of cell factories, bioresource mining, marine ecological monitoring, diagnosis of chronic diseases, precision antibiotic administration, cancer drug screening, etc. Moreover, the center develops microalgal synthetic biology (using Nannochloropsis oceanica as a model) for scalable CO2 fixation and photosynthetic production of nutriceuticals and biofuels. For details, please visit Single-Cell Center website at www.single-cell.cn.

Director of Center/Group
Prof. XU Jian
Professor; Director of the Single-Cell Center Division; Director of the Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Energy Genetics; Leader of the Genome Engineering group. He has published over 140 papers such as Science, Cell Host & Microbe, Nature Communications, Nature Plants, PNAS, PLoS Biology, PLoS Genetics, Plant Cell, the ISME Journal, Plant Journal, Biotechnology for Biofuels, Analytical Chemistry, Lab on a Chip, etc., with over 11600 citations (for a full list of publications, please see https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=QEn_uXQAAAAJ&hl=zh-CN). He currently serves at the Editorial Boards of mSystems, and Algal Research. He has won a number of career awards, including the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (2014), National Young-Scientist Award for Science and Technology (2016) and VCANBIO Award for Biosciences and Medicine (2016). He was recognized for excellence in mentorship via the 2013 CAS 100 Best PhD Thesis Award and the 2014 UCAS-BHPB Mentorship Award.
Research Groups
 Group Name  Leader
 Genome Engineering Group  XU Jian
 Tool Enzyme Group  XIN Yi
 Microfluidics Systems Group  MA Bo
 Single-Cell Instrument Development Group  MA Bo
 Bioinformatics Group  -
 Single-Cell Application Demonstration Group  JI Yuetong & ZHU Pengfei
 Advanced Bio-imaging Group  SHEN Wei
 Admin Team  HAN Bo

Research Interest
Raman-activated Cell Sorting (RACS), single-cell sequencing, single-cell metabolic phenome, anmicrobial susceptibility test (AST), microalgal synthetic biology, carbon neutral, carbon dioxide fixation, human microbiome and health.

Research Fields
1. Single-cell analysis and instrument development
2. Microalgal synthetic biology for carbon dioxide fixation and biofuels
3. Human microbiota and health

Representative Research
Single-cell analysis and instrument development
1. Single-cell test can reveal precisely how drugs kill cancer cells
2. Spontaneous droplet generation via surface wetting
3. Scientists Introduce FlowRACS for High-throughput Discovery of Enzymes
4. Function-based sequencing technique permits analysis of just a single bacteria cell
5. Researchers Improve Method That Links Genome to Function for Environmental Single-cells
6. Chinese Scientists Develop Novel Instrument for Rapid Profiling of Antimicrobial Resistance
7. Chinese Scientists Develop World’s First Instrument System for Raman-activated Cell Sorting and Sequencing
8. Raman-activated cell sorting and metagenomic sequencing revealing carbon-fixing bacteria in the ocean
9. Label-free, Simultaneous Quantification of Starch, Protein and Triacylglycerol in Single Microalgal Cells
10. Raman-Activated Droplet Sorting (RADS) for Label-Free High-Throughput Screening of Microalgal Single-Cells
11. Metabolic-activity based assessment of antimicrobial effects by
D2O-labeled Single-Cell Raman Microspectroscopy
12. Development of a facile droplet-based single-cell isolation platform for cultivation and genomic analysis in microorganisms
13. Reverse and multiple stable isotope probing to study bacterial metabolism and interactions at the single cell level
14. Label-free, rapid and quantitative phenotyping of stress response in E. coli via ramanome
15. Raman-activated Cell Sorting based on dielectrophoretic single-cell trap and release
16. Researchers Develops Novel Approach for Quantitation of Starch in Live, Unicellular Microalgae
17. Researchers Develops Novel Approach for Label-free Measurement of Triacylglycerol Content of Live Single Cells
18. Raman-Activated Cell Sorting for Single Cell Isolation


Microalgal synthetic biology for carbon dioxide fixation and biofuels
1. Scientists program microalgae's 'oil factory' to produce various oils
2. Genome scalpel invented for industrial microalgae to efficiently turn CO2 into biofuel
3. Scientists establish NanDeSyn Database to support international cooperation on industrial microalgae
4. Integration of proteome and transcriptome refines key molecular processes underlying oil production in Nannochloropsis oceanica
5. Highly Efficient, Low-cost Method Developed to Reduce DNA Errors
6. Transcriptomic and proteomic responses to very low CO2 suggest multiple carbon concentrating mechanisms in Nannochloropsis oceanica
7. Turn Back the Clock of Evolution: CAS Scientists Developed High-CO2-tolerant Super Oleaginous Microalgae
8. Scientists Produce “Designer Triacylglycerols” in Industrial Microalgae
9. QIBEBT Generated Super-microalga for CO2 Fixation
10. RNAi-based targeted gene-knockdown in the model oleaginous microalgae Nannochloropsis oceanica
11. Genome editing of model oleaginous microalgae Nannochloropsis spp. by CRISPR/Cas9
12. Researchers Reveals Regulatory Mechanism of Cellulosome Stoichiometry
13. Researchers Advocate for Exploiting Power of Phytohormones in Microalgal Biotechnology
14. Molecular mechanisms of photosynthetic carbon partitioning were unveiled
15. Researchers Unveiled Genome-wide Transcriptional Regulation Network of Oleaginous Microalgae Nannochloropsis
16. Researchers Reveals Biosynthetic and Regulatory Mechanisms of Steroids in Microalgae
17. Researchers Reveals Molecular Mechanisms of Oil Synthesis in Microalgae
18. Researchers reveals the genetic foundation and evolutionary origin of oleaginous traits in microalgae
19. Researchers proposes a new strategy for intragenus phylotyping of microalgae
20. Dissecting and engineering metabolic and regulatory networks of thermophilic bacteria for biofuel production
21. Microevolution from shock to adaptation revealed strategies improving ethanol tolerance and production in Thermoanaerobacter
22. Structure and regulation of the cellulose degradome in Clostridium cellulolyt


Human microbiota and health
1. New Study Shows 24-72 Hours of Poor Oral Hygiene Impacts Oral Health
2. Microbiome Search Engine 2 helps researchers explore microbiome space
3. Meta-Apo supports cheaper, quicker microbiome functional assessment
4. Microbiome Search Engine Can Increase Efficiency in Disease Detection and Diagnosis
5. Mining metagenomics: A faster and more efficient method to compare metagenomes
6. Scientists Use Skin’s Microbiome to Develop Health Index for Children with Eczema
7. Scientists Develop Microbiome Search Engine to Assess Microbiome Novelty and Impact
8. CAS (Single-Cell Center)-SYSU Joint Team Developed Microbiota-Based Approach for Predicting Early Childhood Caries
9. Metagenomics Used in Biological Ingredient Analysis of Traditional Chinese Medicine Preparation
10. Oral Microbiota Predict Gingivitis Severity and Susceptibility: Single-Cell Center of QIBEBT and P&G Collaborate on Oral Microbiome Research
11. Bioinformatics Group of Single-Cell Center Proposed High-Performance Computational Method to Significantly Accelerate Large-scale Microbial Community Analysis
12. Bioinformatics Group of our center and NVIDIA co-Established a New CUDA Research Centre

Contact
xujian@qibebt.ac.cn