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Cornell University researchers have developed a new genetic tool that allows scientists to study how genes work at the level of individual cells, an advance that could accelerate discoveries in development, neuroscience and disease. The system, an extension of the MAGIC method (Mosaic Analysis by gRNA-Induced Crossing-over) method, provides comprehensive genetic coverage and improved visibility, greatly reducing technical barriers for researchers.
Why is it important
This new toolkit opens up the possibility of large-scale genetic screens at single-cell resolution, enabling researchers to systematically examine the genome for genes involved in important biological processes that were previously difficult or impossible to study at this level of detail. The ability to analyze the fourth chromosome of the fruit fly’s history may also reveal biological functions that were previously overlooked.
Details
MAGIC’s expanded method works directly with existing genes, greatly lowering technological barriers while relying on standard laboratory equipment. It also produces enhanced fluorescent markers that make transformed cells glow and easier to follow under the microscope. The researchers have made the toolkit widely available through public repositories, allowing other labs to adopt the system without special training.
- In 2021, the MAGIC device was first developed by the labs of Chun Han and Mariana Wolfner at Cornell.
- The new study was published in April 2026.
Players
Chun Han
Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular and Genetic Biology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and the Weill Center for Cell and Molecular Biology at Cornell University, and co-founder of the original MAGIC method.
Yifan Shen
A graduate researcher at Cornell University who expanded the MAGIC method into a genome-wide toolkit for Drosophila melanogaster.
Mariana Wolfner
Distinguished Professor of Molecular and Genetic Biology and Stephen H. Weiss CALS Presidential Fellow at Cornell University, and co-inventor of the original MAGIC method.
Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center
A public repository where the fly stocks produced in this research are deposited to ensure broad access for the research community.
Addgene
A non-profit plasmid repository that makes the molecular tools developed in this research widely available.
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What they say
It saves at least a few months for studying one genetic mutation compared to traditional methods.
– Chun Han, associate professor
“Our final model illuminated all neurons beautifully, down to the finest branches. This was a huge help for examining the dendrite morphology of individual neurons.”
– Chun Han, associate professor
“Many basic biological processes are still poorly understood due to the inability of the past to analyze all genes at the level of each cell. The integration of scarce libraries with MAGIC tools greatly accelerates the process of gene discovery.”
– Chun Han, associate professor
“This method should allow researchers to ask some very interesting questions about how to identify objects in a way that was not possible before.”
– Chun Han, associate professor
“We’ve benefited greatly from the supportive Drosophila community. If other labs can now use our system to study their important questions in ways we couldn’t before, we feel we’ve achieved our goals.”
– Chun Han, associate professor
What follows
The researchers plan to continue to expand the capabilities of the MAGIC instrument and make it more accessible to the wider scientific community.
The takeaway
This new genetic modification developed at Cornell University represents a major advance in the ability to study genetic activity at the level of a single cell, opening up new avenues of research in fields such as development, neuroscience, and disease that may lead to important discoveries.
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