UTILIZING SPATIAL TRANSCRIPTOMICS AND SINGLE-CELL SEQUENCING TO CREATE HIGH-RESOLUTION MAPS OF IMMUNE CELL INTERACTIONS IN HEALTHY AND DISEASED TISSUES

Abstract

The mammalian immune system is known to operate within a highly ordered tissue architecture in which the position of cells is related to physiological and pathological function. Classical bulk genomic analysis is known to not capture the importance of cellular heterogeneity and the microenvironment. With the advent of systems immunology through the combined use of single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics, it is now possible to generate detailed maps of immune interactions. According to this article, aims to distill the latest discoveries in the fields of dermatology, nephrology, cardiology, endocrinology, and oncology, and how these technologies are revealing the molecular geography of these tissues. These technologies, which allow us to visualize the interactions of ligand and receptor and rare immune subsets in their natural environment, are revolutionizing the understanding of wound healing, organ transplantation, ischemic damage, and tumor biology, and will soon usher in the era of precision medicine.