Expansion spatial transcriptomics

Capture array-based spatial transcriptomics methods have been widely used to resolve gene expression in tissues; however, their spatial resolution is limited by the density of the array. Here we present expansion spatial transcriptomics to overcome this limitation by clearing and expanding tissue prior to capturing the entire polyadenylated transcriptome with an enhanced protocol. This approach enables us to achieve higher spatial resolution while retaining high library quality, which we demonstrate using mouse brain samples. Expansion spatial transcriptomics (Ex-ST) combines the power of tissue expansion with an improved RNA capture protocol for carrying out capture array-based spatial transcriptomics at high spatial resolution.

Automated summary

Expansion spatial transcriptomics (Ex-ST) combines tissue expansion and an improved RNA capture protocol to achieve high spatial resolution in array-based spatial transcriptomics. By clearing and expanding tissue before capturing the entire polyadenylated transcriptome, Ex-ST overcomes the limitation of array density. We demonstrate its effectiveness using mouse brain samples.