The application and prospects of spatial omics technologies in clinical medical research and molecular diagnostics

Abstract

While conventional FISH and IHC methods struggle to decode complex tissue heterogeneity and comprehensive molecular diagnosis due to low-throughput spatial information, spatial omics technologies enable high-throughput molecular mapping across tissue microenvironments. These technologies are emerging as transformative tools in molecular diagnostics and medical research. By integrating histopathological morphology with spatial multi-omics profiling (genome, transcriptome, epigenome, and proteome), spatial omics technologies open an avenue for understanding disease progression, therapeutic resistance mechanisms, and precise diagnosis. It particularly enhances tumor microenvironment analysis by mapping immune cell distributions and functional states, which may greatly facilitate tumor molecular subtyping, prognostic assessment, and prediction of the radiotherapy and chemotherapy efficacy. Despite the substantial advancements in spatial omics, the translation of spatial omics into clinical applications remains challenging due to robustness, efficacy, clinical validation, and cost constraints. In this review, we summarize the current progress and prospects of spatial omics technologies, particularly in medical research and diagnostic applications.

Keywords: Clinical medical research; Molecular diagnostics; Multi-omics; Precise medicine; Spatial omics.