True One Cell Chemical Analysis in Cancer Research: A Review

Abstract

True One Cell (TOC) analysis Is becoming highly critical for functional studies of cancer cells. This is partially because it is the only form of analysis that provides an avenue for studying the heterogeneity and cell-to-cell variations of individual cancer cells, thus providing unique insight into complex regulatory processes that govern TOC functions within a tumor. Additionally, true one cell techniques are playing an increasingly important role in current attempts to implement TOC metabolomic and proteomic studies, as well as emerging attempts to spatially resolve TOC information. In this review we provide a brief overview of the basis of the field and discuss its applications in TOC metabolomics and proteomics.