New DDLS Fellow: Antonio Lentini
Our latest SciLifeLab & Wallenberg National Program for Data-Driven Life Science (DDLS) Fellow, Antonio Lentini (Linköping University), talks about his research and hopes for the future, in our latest Q&A-style article. Antonio will be joining the Precision medicine and Diagnostics research area.
Antonio has a background in Biomedicine and earned his PhD from Linköping University in the lab of Colm Nestor. His doctoral research focused on gene-regulatory dynamics of cellular development and leukemia, developing methodologies to detect errors in sequencing data. He then pursued his postdoctoral studies in the lab of Björn Reinius at the Karolinska Institutet, where he continued his research on gene regulation using allele-resolved single-cell sequencing to investigate developmental dynamics and transcriptional responses to chromosome copy number alterations. During this time, he received a career grant from Svenska Sällskapet för Medicinsk Forskning (SSMF). In addition to his basic research, Antonio contributed to the development of assays for COVID-19 diagnostics and variant genotyping, which were clinically implemented during the pandemic. He also co-founded SEQURNA AB, an innovative startup providing pioneering reagents for single-cell RNA sequencing and in situ sequencing.
How do you think your expertise can contribute to the program?
With over a decade of experience at the intersection of medicine, biology and data science, I specialize in sequencing methodologies across various genomic, transcriptomic and gene-regulatory layers at both bulk and single cell levels. While these techniques are widely adopted, managing this large-scale data can be complex. My expertise allows me to streamline processes and effectively collaborate, train, and work with specialists from diverse disciplines and varying levels of computational knowledge. I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to the program and build new collaborations.
Shortly describe your research in an easy to understand way.
Cancer evolves over time, with different sub clones acquiring new mutations that help the tumor grow and resist treatment. However, these mutations do not occur randomly. Understanding the order of mutations could enable therapeutic targeting of the tumor evolutionary process itself, thereby reducing treatment resistance. To achieve this, my lab combines single-cell sequencing data from primary patient material and experimental systems with advanced bioinformatics to computationally map out these evolutionary lineages. Ultimately, this approach aims to identify new therapeutic targets with the goal of improving long-term survival in cancer patients.
How do you think the program and interactions with the other DDLS-Fellows will benefit you?
A supportive environment is important for achieving high performance and impactful outcomes that matter to the world. The DDLS program provides an amazing platform for data-driven research, and its fellows have fostered an incredibly welcoming and supportive community. I am excited about the opportunity to strengthen these networks and collaborate to push the boundaries of what is currently possible.
Name one thing that people generally do not know about you.
I have been doing graphical design since I was 10, and my first venture into programming was creating custom content for a computer game when I was 12.
Where do you see yourself in five years regarding the DDLS aspect?
As clinical cancer diagnostics advance towards large-scale genomics solutions at a national level, I envision my contributions within DDLS leading to significant translational impacts. Over the next five years, I aim to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice, ensuring that our findings directly enhance patient care. My long-term vision is to see our research drive innovations in personalized medicine, ultimately improving patient outcomes and setting new standards in cancer diagnostics and treatment.
In one word, describe how you feel about becoming a DDLS-Fellow.
Inspired!
