Fig. 1: Overview of methods for spatially resolved molecular analysis.

a Imaging in tissues provides information on where cells are located with respect to each other and their environment, as well as observation of dynamic behaviors in their native environment. b Biomolecules can be imaged in situ with high-resolution fluorescence imaging but with limited multiplexing. Proteins can be imaged with immunofluorescence. Fluorescence in situ hybridization enables imaging of targeted nucleic acids, including DNA and RNA. Fluorescence in situ sequencing enables imaging of untargeted transcriptomic mRNA expression. c Laser microdissection and photoactivation/photoconversion enable the selection of specific cells of interest for downstream molecular analyses. Spatial barcoding of tissue sections enables high-throughput spatial transcriptomics, but not at single-cell resolution