Researchers at Stanford University and the Broad Institute have developed a novel application of CRISPR-Cas9 technology that enables real-time lineage tracing at single-cell resolution within living organisms. The technique, published in Cell, introduces heritable barcodes into the genome at each cell division, creating a molecular record of developmental history.
Unlike previous lineage-tracing methods, which required fixation of tissue samples, the new approach can be monitored in live subjects over extended periods. The team demonstrated the technique in zebrafish embryos, reconstructing complete cell division histories across 32 developmental time points.
Potential applications extend to cancer research, where understanding the clonal evolution of tumor cells is critical to developing targeted therapies.