SPATIAL TRANSCRIPTOMICS: FROM METHODOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS TO BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS

Spatial transcriptomics (ST) represents a revolutionary methodological approach enabling gene expression analysis while preserving spatial context within tissues. The past decade has witnessed rapid development of ST technologies, encompassing both imaging-based methods (MER-FISH, seqFISH, Xenium) and sequencing-based approaches (Visium, Visium HD, Stereo-seq). This review provides a systematic overview of available technological platforms, bioinformatics tools for data analysis, and key applications of spatial transcriptomics in neurobiology, cancer research, and developmental biology. Methodological challenges, including signal deconvolution and integration of ST data with single-cell sequencing data, are also discussed. Spatial transcriptomics opens new possibilities in basic and translational research, offering unprecedented insights into the molecular architecture of tissues.