Background

• Investigating RNA and mutations in sperm is an important tool for predicting risk of diseases such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which have been correlated with advanced paternal age
• Most studies have focused on the assessment of bulk sperm, where only high-frequency variants are detected
• Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) allows for the discovery and investigation of many cellular subtypes, but is difficult to apply to human germline tissues due to transcriptional and morphological differences from somatic cells
• Unmet Need: Methods to analyze sperm on a single-cell level to improve prediction of ASD and other diseases