Navigating the spatial biology landscape can feel like standing in front of a massive soundboard, trying to balance dozens of sliders at once. Every platform promises single-cell or near single-cell resolution,
but each hits that benchmark through fundamentally different engineering.
Multiomics research has fundamentally changed what it means to outsource NGS. It is no longer sufficient to find a vendor that can only sequence a library. Modern programs integrating RNA-seq, single-cell profiling, spatial transcriptomics, epigenomics, and long-read sequencing demand a partner with platform depth, rigorous quality standards, and the operational efficiency to keep budgets and timelines intact. Choosing the wrong partner does not just slow you down—it can compromise the integrity of your entire project.
The spatial transcriptomics field provides unrivaled insights into gene expression within intact tissue architecture which is crucial for both exploratory discovery and targeted hypothesis testing. Two paradigms stand out: the 10x Genomics Visium HD platform and Xenium Prime (e.g., Xenium Prime 5K imaging-based assay). This post dissects their core technologies, strengths, and optimal use cases for advanced genomic research.
Signios Biosciences details how advanced single-cell and spatial transcriptomics support neuroscience research into Alzheimer’s, FTD, TBI, and Friedreich’s Ataxia, aiding new therapy development.
Signios Biosciences details how advanced single-cell and spatial transcriptomics support neuroscience research into Alzheimer’s, FTD, TBI, and Friedreich’s Ataxia, aiding new therapy development.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) poses complex challenges for researchers aiming to understand cellular responses post-injury. Professor Michelle H. Theus of Virginia Tech partnered with MedGenome to shed light on the cellular dynamics underlying injury progression and recovery on a murine TBI model using single-cell and spatial transcriptomics.
Spatial analysis has become an indispensable tool in unraveling the complexities of biological systems. From understanding gene function to dissecting tissue microenvironments, spatial data holds the key to unlocking valuable insights into biological processes. However, harnessing the full potential of spatial data requires not only sophisticated analytical techniques but also considerable computational resources and expertise.
Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is a powerful method that is widely used in biomedical research. It is extensively used to determine cell composition of complex tissues, identify rare cell types, map heterogeneity at single cell level and identify paired, full-length immunoglobulin sequence and T-cell receptor α/β. Advancements in high-throughput single-cell RNA sequencing technologies, in combination with powerful computational tools, has made scRNA-seq a widely used technology across a broad spectrum of therapeutic areas such as oncology, immunology, neuroscience and developmental biology. Requirement of live cells for most single cell workflows is a bottleneck that limits its wider usage. Advent of 10x genomics Flex protocol has enabled single cell gene expression profiling using fixed samples including FFPE samples. This offers several advantages compared to conventional single cell workflows.
Spatial transcriptomics is a technology that allows the analysis of gene expression patterns within a tissue sample in their spatial context. It enables researchers to obtain a comprehensive and high-resolution view of the transcriptome, the set of all expressed genes, across different regions of the tissue. In traditional transcriptomics, gene expression is measured from homogenized cell populations, which can mask important differences in gene expression between different cell types and regions. Spatial transcriptomics, on the other hand, allows researchers to analyze gene expression patterns in intact tissue sections while retaining their spatial information.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has long been one of the great challenges in medicine and imposes a constant burden on our aging population. Recent statistics show that approximately 50 million people worldwide suffer from AD or some other form of dementia. The World Health Organization has estimated that the total number of people with dementia worldwide will reach 82 million by 2030 and 152 million by 2050. Of the top 10 leading causes of death based on United States cancer statistics, cardiovascular disease ranks first, tumors rank second and AD ranks sixth.
