We demonstrated that memory genes discovered from many independent samples of a melanoma cell line (Memory-Seq), are recovered using Power-Seek, but with just one scRNA-seq dataset. Excitingly, we also demonstrate its applicability in human breast cancer tissue. Many ECM and EMT genes showed up.

We showed that single samples will also exhibit power laws in the presence of memory genes. We developed a simple and easy to use algorithm, 'Power-Seek' (all puns intended). This detects memory genes using variations in power-law upon removing genes one at a time from a single scRNA-seq dataset.

While seemingly impossible, this can indeed be done due to a beautiful underlying theoretical result that we show: memory genes, which give rise to lineage correlations, generate detectable Power-Laws in the eigenspectrum of the cell-covariance matrix of a scRNA-seq dataset.

Covering theory and experiments in chronobiology (including hands-on wet lab sessions), ranging from historical perspectives to more modern aspects of high-dimensional data analysis of bio-clocks, the workshop promises to be very exciting. Do apply by 31st December!