How Do Many Cell Types Arise from a Single Genome? (FREE at Simons Foundation)

Note you MUST register at this link to be admitted to the Simons Foundation building:
A Cellular Mystery: How Do Many Cell Types Arise From a Single Genome? Tickets, Wed, Feb 25, 2026 at 6:00 PM | Eventbrite

Although nearly every cell in the body has essentially the same genome, each cell type makes different use of that genome and expresses a subset of all possible genes. This has motivated efforts to characterize the molecular composition of various cell types in humans and across multiple model organisms, using both transcriptional and proteomic approaches.

In this Presidential Lecture, Stephen Quake will present how his team used single-cell transcriptomics to create a human reference atlas comprising more than 1 million cells from 24 different tissues and organs, many from the same donor. This atlas enabled molecular characterization of more than 400 cell types, their distribution across tissues and tissue-specific variation in gene expression and provides an experimental basis for understanding the cell type diversity that can be generated from a single genome.

Quake is the Lee Otterson Professor of Bioengineering and Applied Physics at Stanford University. He has received numerous awards for his contributions to science and is one of only two dozen scientists elected to all three National Academies. Previously, he was head of science at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (2022–2025), founding co-president of the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub (2016–2022), a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator (2006-2016), and a professor at the California Institute of Technology (1996–2005).

-------------
After the lecture, CFI-NYC members are invited to go to dinner and continue the conversation.