There as been a lot of advancements in the omics world and one very exciting emerging technology is spatial omics. I created a series on LinkedIn that broke down the spatial omics industry, what the technology is and the specialist companies in the market including product manufacturers, service providers and software companies. You can read my full blog below.

 

 

What is spatial omics?

 

The omics revolution has expanded our ability to characterize cells through interrogation of the full genome, transcriptome, or proteome. Until recently, these techniques couldn’t be applied in situ, resulting in the loss of spatial relationships.

Spatial omics offer high-throughput solutions to assess the spatial organization and cell types within niches and understand their intercellular communication. Spatial omics combines next generation sequencing / high level multiplexing with imaging modalities, which gives depth and clarity to our insights into the spatial distribution of gene expression, cell-state transitions and cell-cell interactions.

 

The technology

 

Spatial technologies fall into two categories: NGS or imaging-based approaches. These include:

In situ sequencing (ISS) enables direct read-out transcript sequences within a tissue via ligation, gene barcodes, or sort fragment cDNAs. RNA is reverse transcribed and amplified by rolling circle amplification, followed by sequencing.

Applications: FISSEQ, starMAP, etc.

In-situ hybridization (ISH) builds on ISS technology, facilitating target sequence detection using fluorescent labelled probes. Sequential rounds of hybridization and imagine combined with barcoding enable substantial multiplexing.

Applications: MERFISH, seqFISH, smFISH, etc.

NGS-based methods build on the innovation of single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to incorporate spatially barcoded RNAs on microarray slides. These barcodes are used to map spatial position, while traditional sequencing reads map to the genome. These approaches offer the advantage of unbiased interrogation of large regions of tissue.

Applications: DBIT-Seq, HDST, Pixel-seq, Slide-seq, etc.

Multi-omics approaches continue to develop, expanding the focus from the transcriptome to the proteome, epigenome and metabolome. Targeted co-detection of proteins or DNA genomic loci via high-throughput spatial mapping paired with spatial transcriptome data are starting to reveal snapshots of tissue complexity.

Applications: Multiplexed RNA-protein ISH, MIBI, etc.

 

The market

 

The spatial omics solution market size was valued at 250million in 2022, and is predicted to reach 671million by 2031 at 11.9% CAGR during the forecasted period.

Market segmentation:

  1. Product types are instruments, kits, consumables and services
  2. Application areas include: diagnostics, translation research, drug discovery and development, single-cell analysis and cell biology etc.
  3. Samples that are analysed include: DNA, RNA and proteins
  4. End-users include: biopharma and biotech companies, academic and research institutions and contract research organisations (CROs)

 

Benefits

 

  • The ability to chart cellular activity in normal v diseased tissues
  • Preservation of spatial information
  • Identify and characterize cellular heterogeneity
  • Discovery of biomarkers
  • Validation of results from traditional omics studies
  • Aids drug discovery and development by revealing how drugs interact with different cells in tissues
  • Gives a single cell resolution
  • Generates complex data that can be visualised in spatially accurate maps
  • Greater insights into cellular diversity and tissue architecture
  • Greater insights into cellular communication and interactions within a tissue microenvironment
  • Discovery of novel genes and regulatory elements
  • Potential to contribute to personalised treatment strategies and disease monitoring

 

Drawbacks

 

  • Technically complex
  • Large amounts of complex data that can be hard to process, analyse and interpret
  • High cost
  • Limit on how many genes or molecules that can be simultaneously analysed
  • Sample preparation may impact the preservation of cellular morphology and molecular content
  • Complex data can be hard to analyse and interpret
  • Difficult to find techniques to validate spatial omics findings
  • May be a lack of standardized protocols and benchmarks for data quality, due to being new
  • Requires substantial computational resources, including processing power and memory
  • Ethical considerations: consent, privacy and data sharing

 

Market breakdown

 

logos

 

Companies who specialise in spatial tools and products: 

 

  • Stellaromics Inc.,
  • Pixelgen
  • Cell Signaling Technology
  • AtlasXomics
  • Centrillion Tech.
  • Rarecyte
  • Neogenomics’s
  • Navinci Diagnostics
  • Standard Biotools
  • STOmics
  • Complete Genomics
  • Steam Instruments
  • Resolve Biosciences
  • 10x Genomics
  • Nanostring Technologies
  • Vizgen
  • Akoya Biosciences
  • Ultivue
  • Canopy Biosciences
  • Flagship Biosciences
  • Ionpath
  • Miltenyi Biotec
  • Lunaphore (acquired by Bio-Techne)
  • Rebus Biosystems
  • Spatial Genomics, Inc.
  • Veranome Biosystems
  • Curio Bioscience
  • Advanced Cell Diagnostics
  • Acuity Spatial Genomics (a Bruker company)

 

For an more detail on each company’s technology, you can read Katie’s article.

 

Companies who specialise in spatial software/data: 

 

logos

 

  • Alpenglow Biosciences
  • ai
  • Aspect Analytics
  • Bioturing
  • Enable Medicine
  • Excelra
  • Indica Labs
  • Leica Microsystems
  • Medgenome
  • mosaic (Owkin initiative)
  • Nexco Analytics
  • Nucleai
  • Partek
  • PathAI
  • PredxBio (previously SpIntellx)
  • ProCogia
  • Qiagen
  • ROSALIND™ powered by ONRAMP™
  • Visiopharm

For more detail on each company’s technology, you can read Katie’s article over on LinkedIn.

 

Service providers

 

I identified 58 companies who offer spatial omics services. All of the companies identified offer spatial transcriptomics services and a high percentage also offer spatial proteomic services. There was only a handful of companies offering additional spatial services, these include:

  • Aliri = Spatial Transcriptomic, Metabolomic and Proteomic services
  • CapitalBio Technology = Spatial Transcriptomic and Metabolomic services
  • CD Genomics = Spatial Genomics, Transcriptomics, Proteomics, Metabolomics, and Epigenomics services
  • Oebiotech =Spatial Transcriptomics and Metabolomics services

 

The technology

 

The technology being used by these service providers includes:

  • Visium and Xenium from 10x Genomics
  • CosMx and GeoMx from NanoString Technologies, Inc.
  • Hyperion from Standard BioTools
  • PhenoCycler and PhenoImager from Akoya Biosciences, Inc.
  • CellScape from Canopy Biosciences
  • Curio Seeker from Curio Bioscience
  • MiBi from Ionpath
  • Cell DIVE from Leica Microsystems
  • COMET™ from Lunaphore
  • InSituPlex® from Ultivue
  • Merscope from Vizgen.

 

Companies who offer spatial omics services:

 

logos

  • Abiosciences
  • AcelaBio
  • Aliri
  • AMKbiotech
  • Arkana Laboratories
  • Azenta Life Sciences
  • BioChain Institute, Inc.
  • BostonGene
  • Canopy Biosciences
  • CapitalBio Technology
  • CD Genomics mics
  • Cerba Research
  • CellCarta
  • Cellecta, Inc.
  • Citogen
  • Concept Life Sciences
  • Covance
  • Crown Bioscience
  • CyberomiX Inc.
  • Discovery Life Sciences
  • Dxome CLIA Laboratory
  • Ebiogen
  • Enable Medicine
  • Ensigna Biosystems, Inc.
  • Explicyte
  • Flagship Biosciences, Inc.
  • Fortis Life Sciences
  • Fulgent Genetics
  • Fynn Bio
  • Geninus Inc.
  • A*STAR – Agency for Science, Technology and Research
  • Hawayen Bio
  • iCura Diagnostics, Inc
  • Integrated Sciences
  • Invicro
  • Ionpath
  • K2bio
  • KOTAI Biotechnologies, Inc.
  • Labcorp
  • Lanterne Dx
  • MacroGenics, Inc.
  • Navigate BioPharma Services, Inc.
  • NeoGenomics Laboratories
  • Novelbio
  • Novogene Global
  • OEbiotech
  • ORGANOIDSCIENCES 오가노이드사이언스
  • Presage Biosciences, Inc.
  • Propath UK
  • Psomagen
  • Q² Solutions
  • Single Cell Discoveries
  • Sirona Dx
  • Source BioScience
  • Strand Life Sciences
  • theraCUES
  • YuceBio

 

You can read the full article over on my LinkedIn here.

 

 

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