Tempora: Cell trajectory inference using time-series single-cell RNA sequencing data

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) can map cell types, states and transitions during dynamic biological processes such as development and regeneration. Many trajectory inference methods have been developed to order cells by their progression through a dynamic process. However, when time series data is available, these methods do not consider the available time information when ordering cells and are instead designed to work only on a single scRNAseq data snapshot. We present Tempora, a novel cell trajectory inference method that orders cells using time information from time-series scRNAseq data. In performance comparison tests, Tempora accurately inferred developmental lineages in human skeletal myoblast differentiation and murine cerebral cortex development, beating state of the art methods. Tempora uses biological pathway information to help identify cell type relationships and can identify important time-dependent pathways to help interpret the inferred trajectory. Our results demonstrate the utility of time information to supervise trajectory inference for scRNA-seq based analysis.