The applications of single cell RNA-seq and spatial transcriptomics in organ transplantation

Abstract

Organ transplantation research presents promising research prospects owing to its important clinical application and translational significance. Since the advent of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and spatial transcriptomics (ST), researchers have been liberated from the constraints of traditional experimental techniques and enabled to conduct in-depth investigations at the cellular level and with high spatial resolution, ushering organ transplantation research into a new stage. By summarizing the research achievements of scRNA-seq and ST applied in conventional organ transplantation and xenotransplantation, this review illustrates the common mechanisms underlying organ transplantation as well as the clinical value of scRNA-seq and ST in the field of organ transplantation. In addition, this review also discusses the limitations and current technical challenges of scRNA-seq and ST.

Keywords: Organ transplantation; Single-cell RNA sequencing; Spatial transcriptomics; Technology application; Xenotransplantation.