Spatial Immune Cell Profiling
Definition Spatial immune cell profiling identifies and characterizes immune cells in a tissue while preserving their physical location. It combines gene/protein expression with spatial information.
Key Concepts
- Spatial context of immune cells
- Cell type and functional state
- Preserves tissue architecture
Applications
- Tumor microenvironment analysis
- Predicting response to immunotherapy
- Autoimmune diseases and infection
- Cell–cell interaction mapping
Common Technologies
- Spatial Transcriptomics – gene expression + coordinates (e.g. 10x Genomics Visium)
- Imaging Mass Cytometry (IMC) – protein markers with subcellular resolution
- Multiplex Immunofluorescence – multiple antibody stains per tissue section (e.g. CODEX)
- RNAscope / MERFISH – in situ RNA detection with spatial precision
Example Insight
In a tumor biopsy, spatial profiling may reveal that CD8+ T cells are present at the invasive margin but absent in the core — indicating an immune-excluded phenotype.