Single-cell omics decipher tumor evolution

Abstract

Intra-tumor heterogeneity, the major cause of therapeutic resistance, results from the genetic, epigenetic and microenvironmental selective pressures during tumor progression. However, our knowledge of how this diversity emerges over time remains limited. Single-cell omics approaches, which provide high-resolution data on cellular composition, evolutionary dynamics and clonal relationships in tumor progression, have greatly expanded our toolkit for delineating tumor evolution. Here we summarize recent progress in decoding tumor evolution through single-cell omics measurements and discuss the challenges and opportunities in this emerging field.