This image shows two views of the same genetically modified pool of cells. On the left, cellular structures appear bright where cells are actively dividing. On the right, cells from the same image are visualized with the first nucleotide of a fluorescent barcode (green, red, magenta, cyan) indicating which gene in each cell’s DNA was altered.

The Blainey and Cheeseman Labs combine visual and computational analysis to identify irregularities in cell division and match them to specific genetic disruptions revealed by each cell’s DNA barcode. They use pooled screening to rapidly assess thousands of genes for their influence on cell division and its regulation.