Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31988518›Full record

ArticleNature methods2020

Statistical analysis of spatial expression patterns for spatially resolved transcriptomic studies.

Shiquan Sun, Jiaqiang Zhu, Xiang Zhou

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature methods, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 302 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
302citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

302 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Guideline
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Accurately Predicting Cell Type Abundance from Spatial Histology Image Through HPCell.Interdisciplinary sciences, computational life sciences · 2026
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  11. Investigating Spatial Dynamics in Spatial Omics Data with StarTrail.Journal of the American Statistical Association · 2026
    Article
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242 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Shiquan Sun *School of Computer Science, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, P. R. China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9150-6992
Jiaqiang Zhu *Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1455-0041
Xiang ZhouDepartment of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. xzhousph@umich.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4331-7599

Funding

Statistical Methods for Modeling Polygenic Architecture in Association and Re-sequencing StudiesR01HG009124 · NHGRI · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI Xiang Zhou · 2017 to 2026
$3.0M
New directions in single cell genomics method developmentR01GM126553 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO · PI Mengjie Chen · 2017 to 2026
$2.9M
Early adversity and DNA methylation in a primate model of stress and development.R01HD088558 · NICHD · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI TUNG, JENNY · 2017 to 2021
$2.0M
Scalable and Translational Analysis Tools on the Cloud for Deep Integrative Omics DataU01HL137182 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI ZHOU, XIANG · 2017 to 2019
$1.6M
NHGRI NIH HHS R01 HG009124NHLBI NIH HHS U01 HL137182NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD088558NIGMS NIH HHS R01 GM126553
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Identifying genes that display spatial expression patterns in spatially resolved transcriptomic studies is an important first step toward characterizing the spatial transcriptomic landscape of complex tissues. Here we present a statistical method, SPARK, for identifying spatial expression patterns of genes in data generated from various spatially resolved transcriptomic techniques. SPARK directly models spatial count data through generalized linear spatial models. It relies on recently developed statistical formulas for hypothesis testing, providing effective control of type I errors and yielding high statistical power. With a computationally efficient algorithm, which is based on penalized quasi-likelihood, SPARK is also scalable to datasets with tens of thousands of genes measured on tens of thousands of samples. Analyzing four published spatially resolved transcriptomic datasets using SPARK, we show it can be up to ten times more powerful than existing methods and disclose biological discoveries that otherwise cannot be revealed by existing approaches.

Indexed as

Gene Expression RegulationTranscriptomeAlgorithmsHumansLikelihood Functions

Identifiers

PMID31988518
PMCPMC7233129

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.