New research published in Nature Genetics shows how neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy affect the tumour microenvironment (TME) in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma using single-cell spatial transcriptomics. To this end, the researchers developed a computational tool (namely, spatially constrained optimal transport interaction analysis (SCOTIA)) to map ligand–receptor interactions within the tumour and assess changes induced by therapy.

“We hypothesized that treatment-induced remodelling involves significant changes in ligand–receptor interactions, which may be a key to understanding and overcoming therapeutic resistance,” say co-first authors of this study, Carina Shiau and Jingyi Cao.