Five bioinformatics leaders will share their perspectives on the resource needs, common pitfalls, and computational strategies you should anticipate when planning single-cell studies, especially with emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI).

During the event, you’ll learn:

  • How single-cell data is generated
  • What happens to the data before and after it is handed off to research teams
  • What questions and constraints will shape your single-cell data analysis
  • How teams develop, evaluate, and maintain single-cell pipelines
  • The most pressing challenges in single-cell studies, including where AI could add value

This event is free and open to all NCI and NIH staff. For a full overview of the agenda, visit the event page on the NIH Calendar of Events. For questions ahead of the event, email Dr. Daoud Meerzaman or Kimberly Gambini.

ORGANIZED BY

  • Dr. Daoud Meerzaman, PhD (CBIIT)
  • Kimberly Gambini (CBIIT)

This event is co-sponsored by NCI CBIIT and NCI’s Bioinformatics Community Working Group.

DATE AND TIME

May 12, 2026, from 2–4 PM

WORKSHOP REGISTRATION LINK

Register Here

AGENDA

  1. Single-Cell Assays: From Sample to Data

    Dr. Michael Kelly will explain the workflow for generating single-cell data, including what happens before and after you are handed the data, including:

    • Major assay types for single-cell studies
    • Requirements for preparing single-cell samples
    • Technical limitations when generating single-cell data
    • Coordination between investigators and sequencing teams

  2. Case Study: Biological and Analytical Realities of a Single-Cell Project

    Dr. Brian Capaldo will illustrate the biological questions and sample constraints that shape analysis in real-world projects, including assay selection, multimodal data integration, data annotation challenges, and trade-offs in analytical tools and workflows.

  3. Considerations for Developing and Validating scRNA-seq Pipelines

    Dr. Chad Highfill will walk through how teams develop, evaluate, and maintain single-cell pipelines. You will also learn why establishing robust best practices in single-cell analysis is more challenging than in more standardized genomics applications.

  4. Panel Discussion: Pipelines, Tools, and Integration Challenges

    Presenters will share their perspectives on the most pressing questions in single-cell analysis:

    • When does standardization help?
    • When does biology disrupt standardized approaches?
    • How do you choose among analysis approaches?
    • How do you manage multimodal integration challenges?
    • Where could artificial intelligence add value?

  5. Closing: Workshop Takeaways

    Dr. Meerzaman will summarize key points and outline what you can anticipate when leading your own single-cell studies.

OUR SPEAKERS

  • Daoud Meerzaman, Ph.D. Chief of the Computational Genomics & Bioinformatics Branch (CGBB)

  • Michael Kelly, Ph.D. Single-Cell Analysis Facility Lead

  • Brian Capaldo, Ph.D. Biomedical Informatics Specialist

  • Chad Highfill, Ph.D. NCI Cancer Immunologic Data Center (CIDC) Bioinformatics Team Lead

  • Nicholas Renzette, Ph.D. Vice President of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science