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Updated: Feb 8, 2026

Measuring Single-Cell Aging with an Imaging-based Biomarker of Chromatin and Epigenetic Aging
Published on: January 30, 2026
Single-cell epigenetics - Chromatin modification atlas unveiled by mass cytometry
Peggie Cheung1, Francesco Vallania2, Mai Dvorak1
1Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
A new platform, EpiTOF, analyzes histone modifications in single immune cells. This technology aids in understanding epigenetic regulation and identifying disease-associated patterns in immune-mediated diseases.
Area of Science:
- Epigenetics and Immunology
Background:
- Histone modifications are crucial for epigenetic regulation and disease pathogenesis.
- Studying histone modifications in the human immune system is challenging due to complexity.
- Previous analytic platforms lacked the power to study these modifications in detail.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce Epigenetic landscape profiling using cytometry by Time-Of-Flight (EpiTOF).
- To highlight EpiTOF's capability in analyzing global histone modifications in single cells.
- To discuss EpiTOF's potential applications in biomedical research, particularly in immune-mediated diseases.
Main Methods:
- Development of a highly multiplexed platform, EpiTOF.
- Utilizing mass cytometry for single-cell analysis.
- Analysis of a broad array of histone modifications.
Main Results:
- EpiTOF enables the analysis of global histone modification levels in single cells.
- The platform offers a powerful tool for studying the epigenome within the complex human immune system.
- Demonstrates potential for identifying differential histone modifications.
Conclusions:
- EpiTOF is a novel platform for studying histone modifications in single cells.
- This technology can provide new insights into epigenetic regulation in hematopoiesis and immune cell function.
- EpiTOF is expected to reveal aberrant epigenetic patterns in immune-mediated diseases.
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