Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41952215›Full record

ArticleGenome biology2026

Benchmarking tools for deciphering cellular crosstalk in spatially-resolved transcriptomics.

Li-Ting Ku, Vincent Bernard, Jimin Min, Ying Yuan, Eugene Jon Koay, Anirban Maitra, Liang Li, Ziyi Li

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Genome biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

8 authors.

Li-Ting KuDepartment of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Vincent BernardDepartment of Gastrointestinal Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Jimin MinPerlmutter Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA.
Ying YuanDepartment of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Eugene Jon KoayDepartment of Gastrointestinal Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Anirban MaitraPerlmutter Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA.
Liang LiDepartment of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA. LLi15@mdanderson.org.
Ziyi LiDepartment of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA. zli16@mdanderson.org.

Funding

Tropism Enhanced Oncolytic Adenovirus for the Treatment of Brain TumorsP50CA127001 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · PI Juan Fueyo, FREDERICK F LANG · 2008 to 2026
$41.2M
Tumor Microenvironment Crosstalk Drives Early Lesions in Pancreatic CancerU54CA274371 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · PI Elana Fertig · 2022 to 2026
$9.5M
PASSCODE (Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Stromal Reprograming ConSortium COordination, Data Management and Education)U24CA274274 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · PI J. Jack LEE, ANIRBAN MAITRA · 2022 to 2026
$4.9M
Coordinating and Data Management Center for Translational and Basic Science Research in Early LesionsU24CA274212 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · PI Liang Li, Ying Yuan · 2022 to 2026
$3.5M
Statistical methods to delineate the spatial and temporal pattern of cell-cell interactions in Spatial Transcriptomics dataR35GM159819 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · PI Ziyi Li · 2025 to 2026
$899k
NCI NIH HHS P50 CA127001NCI NIH HHS U24 CA274212NCI NIH HHS U24 CA274274NCI NIH HHS U54 CA274371NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM159819NIGMS NIH HHS R35GM159819
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCell-cell communication via ligand-receptor signaling is a fundamental mechanism shaping multicellular organization and functional heterogeneity within tissue microenvironments. Recent advances in spatial transcriptomics (ST) have enabled unprecedented opportunities to systematically infer such interactions under the native spatial context. While prior studies have summarized or compared existing cell-cell interaction (CCI) inference methods, comprehensive benchmarking of tools specifically developed for ST applications remains limited.

resultsHere, we present a comprehensive evaluation of nine computational CCI inference methods on a series of realistic simulation settings and nine real ST datasets from three independent studies, spanning Visium, Stereo-seq, and Xenium platforms. Method performance was assessed based on ligand-receptor prediction accuracy, spatial coherence of interactions, biological relevance via pathway enrichment, and computational efficiency.

conclusionsOur results demonstrate substantial variability in tool performance across spatial resolutions, tissue contexts, and platforms, offering practical guidance for tool selection. This study also highlights key challenges in applying existing tools to real ST data and provides insights to inform future advances in spatially resolved cell-cell interaction analysis.

Indexed as

Cell CommunicationSoftwareAnimalsBenchmarkingComputational BiologyGene Expression ProfilingHumansSpatial Transcriptomics

Identifiers

PMID41952215
PMCPMC13174004

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LicenceCC BY
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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.