Mapping multipathology via spatial omic integration

Ryan Palaganas; Dimitrios N Sidiropoulos; Meaghan Morris; Genevieve L Stein-O'Brien

doi:10.1016/j.copbio.2025.103398

Mapping multipathology via spatial omic integration

Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2026 Feb:97:103398. doi: 10.1016/j.copbio.2025.103398. Epub 2025 Dec 9.

Authors

Ryan Palaganas¹, Dimitrios N Sidiropoulos², Meaghan Morris³, Genevieve L Stein-O'Brien⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
² Johns Hopkins Convergence Institute, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
³ Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
⁴ Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Johns Hopkins Convergence Institute, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, USA; Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Single Cell Training and Analysis Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. Electronic address: gsteinobrien@jhmi.edu.

Abstract

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) are a global health crisis affecting 15% of the population, with projections indicating this burden will double within two decades. Despite having shared molecular hallmarks, co-occurring proteinopathies, predictable progression patterns, and overlapping genetic risk variants, what causes specific NDDs to manifest in a particular individual or even a particular cell type is unknown. Thus, systems biology approaches are necessary to decipher the molecular, cellular, and environmental interactions driving pathogenesis. Multi-omics spatial profiling preserves tissue architecture while mapping cellular phenotypes and molecular interactions at subcellular resolution. Systems biology integration of these modalities will facilitate the identification of underlying causes of neuronal vulnerability, protein aggregation mechanisms, and disease progression patterns, accelerating targeted therapeutic development across NDDs.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Genomics* / methods
Humans
Neurodegenerative Diseases* / genetics
Neurodegenerative Diseases* / metabolism
Systems Biology* / methods

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding