Cells exist within complex microenvironments, in which spatially localized factors — including intercellular signalling networks and structural elements — influence individual cell states, multicellular ecosystems and, ultimately, entire tissues and organisms. In cancer, distinct tumour microenvironments (TMEs) shape, and are shaped by, diverse cell states and multicellular ecosystems that drive tumorigenesis, metastasis and response to therapy.

Spatial transcriptomic platforms have enabled increasingly detailed profiling of gene expression in situ. However, despite continued advances, no existing commercially available spatial transcriptomic platforms offer single-cell resolution with transcriptomic coverage on par with single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq).