Entering the era of spatial transcriptomics: opportunities and challenges for pathology
Sozanska AM., Pescia C., Thomas E., Royston DJ., Cooper RA.
Recent years have seen the emergence of spatial transcriptomic (ST) platforms that are capable of comprehensive whole-section gene expression profiling of tissues with up to subcellular resolution. ST platforms offer novel insights into tissue microenvironments that define health and disease. This article will introduce the principles of ST and outline the commonly used platforms with their relative strengths and weaknesses. It will also discuss key considerations for experimental design and data analysis workflows. Finally, the importance of pathological oversight of ST workflows will be discussed, including the future potential of ST in clinical practice.