NEWS AND VIEWS21 July 2026Spatially resolved transcriptomic technologies continue to enhance understanding of development and disease through a feedback loop involving academia and industry.ByJean Fan0Jean FanJean Fan is in the Center for Computational Biology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21211, USA.View author publicationsSearch author on: PubMed Google Scholar‘Location, location, location!’ This adage highlights how the value of property is shaped by geographical context. It has relevance in biology, too: the outcomes of molecular programs that are encoded in gene expression are shaped by the context of the tissue in which a cell exists. Scientists had been looking for a way to profile gene expression at the level of the transcriptome (the entire set of RNA transcripts in a cell) while preserving the spatial resolution achievable with microscopy — in other words, a way to capture which genes are expressed, and where. One solution came in 2016 in a landmark paper in Science, in which Ståhl et al.1 introduced a technology that they called spatial transcriptomics.Access optionsAccess Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journalsGet Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription27,99 € / 30 dayscancel any timeLearn moreSubscribe to this journalReceive 52 print issues and online access199,00 € per yearonly 3,83 € per issueLearn moreRent or buy this articlePrices vary by article typefrom$1.95to$39.95Learn morePrices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkoutdoi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-02212-1ReferencesStåhl, P. L. et al. Science 353, 78–82 (2016).Article PubMed Google Scholar Miller, B. F., Huang, F., Atta, L., Sahoo, A. & Fan, J. Nature Commun. 13, 2339 (2022).Article PubMed Google Scholar Marx, V. Nature Methods 18, 9–14 (2021).Article PubMed Google Scholar Moses, L. & Pachter, L. Nature Methods 19, 534–546 (2022).Article PubMed Google Scholar Jung, N. & Kim, T.-K. Exp. Mol. Med. 55, 2105–2115 (2023).Article PubMed Google Scholar Rao, A., Barkley, D., França, G. S. & Yanai, I. Nature 596, 211–220 (2021).Article PubMed Google Scholar Liu, M. et al. Nature Rev. Cancer https://doi.org/10.1038/s41568-026-00940-0 (2026).Article Google Scholar Börner, K. et al. Nature Methods 22, 845–860 (2025).Article PubMed Google Scholar Rozenblatt-Rosen, O., Stubbington, M. J. T., Regev, A. & Teichmann, S. A. Nature 550, 451–453 (2017).Article PubMed Google Scholar Priem, J., Piwowar, H. & Orr, R. Preprint at arXiv https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2205.01833 (2022).Download referencesCompeting InterestsThe author declares no competing interests. Cellular atlases are unlocking the mysteries of the human body Cell-level reference maps for the human body take shapeSee all News & ViewsSubjectsTranscriptomicsComputational biology and bioinformaticsLatest on:TranscriptomicsComputational biology and bioinformaticsJobs Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate SchoolJoin Tsinghua SIGS as a faculty member and contribute to academic excellence and global impact.Tsinghua SIGS is located in Shenzhen, a vibrant innovation hub in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate SchoolCommissioning Editor - Collections Management and AcquisitionTitle: Commissioning Editor - Collections Management and Acquisition Location: Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, China - hybrid working model Application...Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, China - hybrid working modelSpringer Nature LtdPostdoc and FacultyINSTITUTE OF PRECISION MEDICINE, is recruiting postdoctoral research associate, assistant professor, associate professor and full professorHangzhou, Zhejiang (CN)ZHEJIANG CHINESE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY