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Spatial transcriptomics may transform prostate cancer research by mapping immune cell localization and gene expression in situ, according to a recent article.

Spatial transcriptomics is poised to transform prostate cancer research by mapping immune cell localization and gene expression in situ, thereby unveiling the cellular choreography underlying tumor immunity, according to a recent article published online by the La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI).

“No one has ever profiled tissues like this before,” stated LJI Assistant Professor Miguel Reina-Campos, PhD. “Spatial transcriptomics enables us to look at hundreds of thousands of cells and thousands of genes in prostate tissues.”

Deciphering T-Cell Dynamics in Prostate Tumors

According to the article, Reina-Campos’s team has previously applied spatial transcriptomics to characterize pathogen-driven T-cell migration in the gut. Building on these insights, they now investigate tissue-resident memory CD8⁺ T cells within the prostate microenvironment. These cells possess potent cytotoxic capacity, yet hormonal cues, particularly testosterone, modulate their function.

The standard treatment for advanced prostate cancer is androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), which reduces circulating testosterone to castrate levels. However, the consequences of ADT on T‐cell-mediated antitumor immunity remain enigmatic, the article stated.

“The role of testosterone and its sensor, the androgen receptor, on immune cells, is not really well known,” noted Reina-Campos. With spatial transcriptomics, his laboratory can longitudinally track T-cell activation, migration, and gene signatures before and after ADT, thus revealing how hormone withdrawal reshapes the immune landscape.

Mapping Hormonal Modulation of Immunity

Beyond prostate cancer, Reina-Campos collaborates with investigators at the University of California, San Diego, and the Salk Institute to examine immune regulation at the maternal–fetal interface, the article noted. Here, fluctuating estrogen levels throughout the menstrual cycle and pregnancy impose dynamic constraints on immune surveillance.

“This research follows T-cell function all through the monthly cycle, all the way through pregnancy and giving birth—which is when hormone levels really change,” Reina-Campos explained. These studies leverage spatial transcriptomics to chart immune cells as “glowing constellations” that navigate tissue niches under varying endocrine milieus.

Towards Precision Immunotherapies

By integrating spatial maps of immune cell topography with transcriptional phenotyping, Reina-Campos aims to identify molecular targets for next‐generation immunotherapies. For prostate cancer, this may entail strategies to preserve or augment CD8⁺ T-cell effector function in the hormone-depleted setting. More broadly, spatial transcriptomics offers a novel “cartography” of immune-tissue interactions that could guide personalized interventions across oncology, reproductive immunology, and beyond, according to the article.

Reina-Campos stated, “This is part of trying to understand the underlying mechanisms of the immune system.” In doing so, spatial transcriptomics may illuminate new pathways to enhance survival and quality of life for patients afflicted by prostate cancer and other immune-mediated diseases.