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Special Issues

Spatial Omics in Cancer: Decoding Heterogeneity, Microenvironment Crosstalk, and Therapeutic Implications

A special issue of Sustainable Food Connect (3105-3858)

Submission Deadline: July 31, 2026 Published Articles: 2 Submit your Article Share


Special Issue Editors

Gao Zhang

Lead Guest Editor

Faculty of Dentistry The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong


Special Issue Information

Spatial omics technologies are transforming biomedical research by profiling molecular signatures within their native tissue context. This approach overcomes the limitations of traditional methods by simultaneously resolving cell types, functional states, and their spatial interactions. By illuminating tumor-stroma crosstalk and resistance niches, spatial omics provides unprecedented insights into the tumor microenvironment. This paradigm shift from what is expressed to where and how molecular interactions occur is advancing oncology into an era of spatially-informed precision medicine.

Objectives
  1. Showcase innovative applications of spatial omics in decoding tumor heterogeneity and the tumor microenvironment.
  2. Elucidate the spatial drivers of intercellular communication, niche formation, and therapy resistance.
  3. Foster collaboration between computational biology, bioengineering, and clinical oncology.
  4. Explore spatially-guided strategies for personalized treatment and targeted therapies.
Scope

This issue will feature the latest innovations and translational applications of spatial omics in oncology. We invite original research articles, reviews, perspectives, and clinical trial reports. Key topics include, but are not limited to:

  1. Technology Development: Advanced spatially resolved technologies and novel computational tools.
  2. Biological Discoveries: Insights into tumor clonal evolution, pre-metastatic niche remodeling, and spatial immune architecture.
  3. Clinical Translation: Research on spatial biomarkers, pathology subtyping, and spatial endpoints in clinical trials.

We also encourage submissions from other fields, such as neuroscience and developmental biology, that offer cross-disciplinary insights into microenvironmental regulation.

Topics of interest
  • Integrating Spatial Transcriptomics and Proteomics to Decode the Immunosuppressive Niche in Pancreatic Cancer
  • Novel Computational Pipeline for Deconvoluting Cellular Neighborhoods from Multiplexed Imaging Data
  • Spatial Evolution of Therapy-Resistant Clones Revealed by Single-Cell Multi-omics in Breast Cancer Liver Metastases
  • Three-Dimensional Mapping of Immune-Tumor Interactions in Colorectal Cancer Using Spatial ATAC-seq
  • A Spatial Biomarker Signature Predicting PD-1 Blockade Response in Melanoma: A Multicenter Validation Study
  • Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Spatial Pathology for Guiding Precision Biopsy in Prostate Cancer
  • Spatial Metabolomics Reveals Nutrient Competition Zones as Novel Therapeutic Targets in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
  • Machine Learning-Based Integration of Spatial Transcriptomics and Histopathology for Predicting Lymphoma Progression
  • Dynamic Remodeling of Tumor-Stroma Spatial Networks During Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Gastric Cancer
  • Spatial Epigenetic Mapping of the Premetastatic Niche in Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastasis
Benefits of submitting by the deadline
  • No article processing charges
  • Complimentary language editing

For further details, please contact the editorial office at: info@scifiniti.com

open-access Review Article

Available Online: 31 May 2026

Spatial Profiling of the Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Microenvironment: Reshaping Our Understanding and Therapeutic Opportunities

Volume 3

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is characterized by a highly heterogeneous tumor microenvironment (TME) that drives disease progression and therapeutic resistance. The emergence of spatial omics technology, encompassing spatial transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics and multi-modal imaging, has revolutionized our understanding of TME by preserving the critical spatial architecture of molecular landscapes. This review synthesizes key innovations derived from spatial omics in HNSCC TME, detailing the organised spatial distribution of..

open-access Mini-Review

Available Online: 21 May 2026

Regional Differences in Brain Tumors: Genetic Drivers and Spatial Molecular Ecology

Volume 3

The human brain exhibits pronounced regional specialization in cellular composition, gene expression, and tissue organization. Increasing evidence indicates that these spatial differences influence where brain tumors arise and how they evolve. Across tumor entities such as gliomas, meningiomas, and brain metastases, specific molecular subtypes frequently display characteristic anatomical distributions, suggesting a functional coupling between tumor genetics and regional brain microenvironments. In this mini review, we summarize recent advances in understanding..