Faculty, Staff and Student Publications
Language
English
Publication Date
1-12-2026
Journal
Cancer Cell
DOI
10.1016/j.ccell.2025.12.009
PMID
41478277
PMCID
PMC12867001
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
2-4-2026
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Author MSS
Abstract
Spatial omics transforms our understanding of cancer by revealing how tumor cells and the microenvironment are organized, interact, and evolve within tissues. Here, we synthesize advances in spatial technologies that map tumor ecosystems with unprecedented fidelity. We highlighted analytical breakthroughs-including multimodal integration and emerging spatial foundation models-that resolve functional niches and spatial communities, converting spatial patterns into mechanistic insights. We summarize how spatially organized features, from immune hubs to microbiota and neural interfaces, shape tumor evolution and clinical outcomes. We then outline how spatial approaches illuminate precancer biology, metastatic adaptation, and therapy response. Bridging discovery and translation, we provide a practical roadmap for incorporating spatial readouts into clinically oriented study design. We conclude by discussing persistent challenges in standardization and scalability and how high-plex spatial discoveries may be distilled into scalable, AI-enabled, clinically deployable assays, positioning spatial omics as a cornerstone of next-generation predictive and precision oncology.
Keywords
Humans, Tumor Microenvironment, Neoplasms, Genomics, Precision Medicine, Animals, Proteomics
Published Open-Access
yes
Recommended Citation
Yunhe Liu, Yibo Dai, and Linghua Wang, "Spatial Omics at the Forefront: Emerging Technologies, Analytical Innovations, and Clinical Applications" (2026). Faculty, Staff and Student Publications. 6766.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/uthgsbs_docs/6766
Included in
Bioinformatics Commons, Biomedical Informatics Commons, Genetic Phenomena Commons, Medical Genetics Commons, Oncology Commons