Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41280008›Full record

ArticlebioRxiv : the preprint server for biology2025

Computer Vision Methods for Spatial Transcriptomics: A Survey.

Junchao Zhu, Ruining Deng, Junlin Guo, Tianyuan Yao, Siqi Lu, Chongyu Qu, Juming Xiong, Yanfan Zhu, Zhengyi Lu, Yuechen Yang and 7 more

Abstract readPreprint
In one paragraph

Article in bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Junchao ZhuDepartment of Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, TN, USA.
Ruining DengWeill Cornell Medicine, NY, USA.
Junlin GuoDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Vanderbilt University, TN, USA.
Tianyuan YaoDepartment of Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, TN, USA.
Siqi LuDepartment of Computer Science, The College of William and Mary, VA, USA.
Chongyu QuDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Vanderbilt University, TN, USA.
Juming XiongDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Vanderbilt University, TN, USA.
Yanfan ZhuDepartment of Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, TN, USA.
Zhengyi LuDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Vanderbilt University, TN, USA.
Yuechen YangDepartment of Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, TN, USA.
Marilyn LiontsDepartment of Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, TN, USA.
Yucheng TangNVIDIA, CA, USA.
Daguang XuNVIDIA, CA, USA.
Yu WangDepartment of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, TN, USA.
Shilin ZhaoDepartment of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, TN, USA.
Haichun YangDepartment of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, TN, USA.
Yuankai HuoDepartment of Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, TN, USA.

Funding

Controlling Quality and Capturing Uncertainty in Advanced Diffusion Weighted MRIR01EB017230 · NIBIB · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY · PI LANDMAN, BENNETT A. · 2015 to 2024
$5.1M
Complementary ex vivo multimodal optical imaging and in vivo Raman spectroscopy to understand tissue dynamicsR01EB033385 · NIBIB · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY · PI MAHADEVAN-JANSEN, ANITA, REESE, JOHN JEFFREY · 2022 to 2025
$2.6M
AI-empowered 3D Computer Vision and Image-Omics Integration for Digital Kidney HistopathologyR01DK135597 · NIDDK · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY · PI Yuankai Huo · 2023 to 2026
$2.1M
Dual-wavelength endoscopic Raman probe for eosinophilic esophagitisR01DK132338 · NIDDK · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY · PI MAHADEVAN-JANSEN, ANITA · 2022 to 2025
$1.7M
fMRI physiological signatures of aging and Alzheimer's DiseaseRF1MH125931 · NIMH · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY · PI CHANG, CATHERINE ELIZABETH · 2021 to 2021
$1.1M
NIBIB NIH HHS R01 EB017230NIBIB NIH HHS R01 EB033385NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK132338NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK135597NIMH NIH HHS RF1 MH125931
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Spatial transcriptomics (ST) enables the simultaneous measurement of gene expression and spatial localization within tissue sections, providing unprecedented opportunities to dissect tissue architecture and functional organization. As a relatively new omics technology, bioinformatics has driven much of the innovation in ST. However, within these frameworks, "spatial" information is often reduced to locations and relationships between molecular profiles, without fully leveraging the wealth of submicron morphological detail and histological knowledge available. Advances in computer vision-based artificial intelligence (AI) are opening exciting new avenues beyond conventional bioinformatics approaches by modeling complex histological patterns and linking morphology to molecular states. More excitingly, they bring fresh perspectives to potentially address key limitations of ST, including its high cost, limited clinical applicability, and reliance on two-dimensional (2D) analysis of inherently three-dimensional (3D) tissues. For instance, models that predict ST directly from histology images enable "virtual sequencing," drastically reducing costs while integrating morphological insights from pathology with molecular biomarkers, thus accelerating clinical translation. Moreover, computer vision techniques can reconstruct pixel-aligned 3D tissue models, overcoming the technical barriers of 2D acquisition and advancing 3D spatial omics analytics. In this paper, we present the first systematic survey of computer vision AI models for ST analytics, categorizing approaches across architectures, learning paradigms, tasks, and datasets, and tracing their technological evolution. We highlight key challenges and future directions, offering a panoramic perspective on vision-driven ST and its potential to transform both basic research and clinical practice. The curated collection of vision-driven spatial transcriptomics papers is available at https://github.com/hrlblab/computer_vision_spatial_omics.

Indexed as

Artificial IntelligenceComputational PathologyComputer VisionSpatial Transcriptomics

Identifiers

PMID41280008
PMCPMC12632985

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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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.