Spatial transcriptomics in cancer research: Opportunities and challenges

Spatial transcriptomics (ST) technologies can be divided into two categories, depending on the strategies used to measure transcripts: imagingbased and sequencing-based technologies.Imaging-based ST technologies employ microscopy to detect transcripts using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).On the other hand, sequencing-based technologies use sequencing to capture the spatial expression patterns of genes.These sequencingbased technologies can be further divided into three types based on how spatial information is obtained: laser capture microdissection (LCM), in situ sequencing (ISS), and in situ barcoding. 1In this context, we aim to identify the opportunities and challenges of spatial transcriptomics in cancer research.