Spatial omics shed light on the tumour organisation of glioblastoma

James R Whittle; Jurgen Kriel; Oluwaseun E Fatunla; Tianyao Lu; Joel J D Moffet; Montana Spiteri; Sarah A Best; Saskia Freytag

doi:10.1016/j.semcdb.2024.12.006

Spatial omics shed light on the tumour organisation of glioblastoma

Semin Cell Dev Biol. 2025 Jan 8:167:1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2024.12.006. Online ahead of print.

Authors

James R Whittle¹, Jurgen Kriel², Oluwaseun E Fatunla², Tianyao Lu³, Joel J D Moffet², Montana Spiteri³, Sarah A Best⁴, Saskia Freytag⁵

Affiliations

¹ Personalised Oncology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Medical Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia.
² Personalised Oncology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
³ Personalised Oncology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Australia.
⁴ Personalised Oncology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁵ Personalised Oncology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39787997
DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2024.12.006

Abstract

The glioblastoma tumour microenvironment is characterised by immense heterogeneity, with malignant and non-malignant cells that interact in a complex ecosystem. Emerging evidence suggests that the tumour microenvironment is key in facilitating rapid proliferation, invasion, migration and cancer cell survival, crucial for treatment resistance. Spatial omics technologies have enabled the molecular characterisation of regions or individual cells within their spatial context, providing previously unattainable insights into the complex organisation of the glioblastoma tumour microenvironment. Understanding this organisation is crucial for the development of new therapeutics and novel diagnostic tools that guide patient care. This review explores spatial omics technologies and how they have contributed to the development of a model outlining the architecture of the glioblastoma tumour microenvironment.

Keywords: Glioblastoma; Spatial metabolomics; Spatial omics; Spatial transcriptomics; Tumour microenvironment.

Publication types

Review