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Single-cell genomics is revolutionising our understanding of cellular diversity and its impact on health and disease. Across Latin America and the Caribbean, researchers are driving innovation in this field, leveraging cutting-edge technologies and collaborative networks to advance discovery. While access to certain resources may vary, the region’s scientific community is continuously finding creative and effective ways to push the boundaries of single-cell research.
To bridge the gap between knowledge, translation and application, we will deliver an immersive programme that combines learning, problem-solving, and practical implementation. This event will strengthen technical expertise, promote innovation, and empower researchers to translate their skills into impactful scientific contributions.
Participants will be challenged to develop new approaches, maximise available data, or pioneer applications with broad scientific and clinical impact. This event will empower scientists in Latin America to shape the future of single-cell science.
Researchers based in Latin America and the Caribbean who are working in genomics, computational biology, or related fields. This learn-by-doing event is designed for those seeking practical skills in single-cell data analysis and exploring problem-solving opportunities to optimise and apply single-cell data for biological and clinical insights
Prerequisite: Participants should have a background in life sciences, basic knowledge of single-cell technologies, and some experience with data analysis or bioinformatics tools.
To accelerate the translation of single-cell genomics into impactful research and innovation in Latin America by equipping early to mid-career scientists with practical skills, problem-solving strategies, and collaborative networks to overcome regional challenges. Activities emphasise a shift from passive learning to active application, supporting both immediate skill development and long-term capacity strengthening through adaptable, translational, and community-driven approaches.
- Empower data-driven research by enabling effective use of public and local datasets, tools, and bioinformatics platforms to drive discovery
- Bridge knowledge and application to translate single-cell genomics into innovative tools, insights, and real-world solutions with scientific and translational impact.
- Advance collaboration and partnerships through peer-to-peer learning, creating a foundation for long-term impact and regional leadership in single-cell genomics.
- Strengthen leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills to support sustained scientific contributions and advance careers in single-cell genomics.
This hands-on laboratory and bioinformatics course will offer a series of lectures and practical sessions including the following topics:
- Introduction to single-cell sequencing: applications and analysis
- Single-cell RNA sequencing methods: detailed state-of-the-art molecular biology protocols for sample preparation
- Hands-on single-cell techniques: from cell preparation to data analysis
- Best practices for planning and executing single-cell experiments, quality control and troubleshooting
- Bioinformatics training: workflows and tools for data processing, visualization, and cellular structure identification
- Group projects: bioinformatics analyses and grant writing
Attendees analyse publicly available single-cell datasets, leveraging diversity to enhance disease research. Hands-on training will cover data processing, integration, and structuring insights for real-world applications. Troubleshooting sessions will address challenges like sample quality, infrastructure, and computational limitations.
Attendees will engage in hackathon-style problem-solving sessions, tackling challenges in single-cell research through scientific translation, resource optimisation, and data-driven discovery. Mentored and collaborative teams will develop solutions for computational, logistical, and experimental constraints, ensuring that research can proceed despite limitations.
By the end of the event, participants will be able to:
- Identify and analyse publicly available single-cell datasets to extract biologically meaningful insights.
- Apply single-cell genomics concepts and methods to address regionally relevant research questions.
- Design practical solutions, prototype workflows, tools, or approaches that address key barriers in single-cell research in the Latin American context.
- Collaborate effectively in scientific teams to co-create solutions, share knowledge, and strengthen regional research networks.
- Communicate and reflect on the potential scientific impact, translational value, and equity considerations of their proposed solutions.
- Patricia Abrão Possik, National Institute of Cancer (INCA), Brazil
- Ricardo Chinchilla-Monge, University of Costa Rica, Costa Rica
- Mariana Boroni, National Institute of Cancer (INCA), Brazil
- Patricia Severino, Albert Einstein Research and Education Institute, Brazil
- Yesid Cuesta Astroz, University of Antioquía, Colombia
- Vinícius Maracajá-Coutinho, University of Chile
- Alice Matimba, Head of Training and Global Capacity
- Liã Bárbara Arruda, Education Developer
- Monica Abrudan, Education Developer
- Isabela Malta, Assistant Global Training Manager
- Martin Asltett, Informatics Manager
- Vaishnavi Vikas Gangadhar, Informatics Technical Officer
The course data are free to reuse and adapt with appropriate attribution. All course data in these repositories are licensed under the Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
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