The Single-Cell and Spatial Buyer's Guide

Single-cell and spatial omics can be confusing! The technology is developing at an exhilarating rate, new companies are producing solutions that appear to be doing very similar things and media and news sites are riding off this excitement, adding more clutter to the space without providing clarity.

The Single-cell and Spatial Buyer’s Guide is a written document unlike anything else in the space.

The core of this intelligence report is a direct comparison of existing technology in the market for all steps of the single-cell and spatial workflow. It is a dynamic catalogue of single-cell and spatial methods that you could use. Want to know which commercial technology allows the highest cell throughput? Or which spatial method has the right resolution and ‘plexity’? This Buyer’s Guide is the answer to that.

However, this is not just a commercial catalogue of tech. It is filled with interviews from experts who are working with these technologies and ready to share their experiences with you, the reader. It contains introductions to the workflows and some core principles to help you choose between methods. It also highlights issues that are important to the wider community. How do we find standardised approaches? What are the environmental and social policies of leading companies in the space?

The best part, it is not locked behind a pay wall – it is completely free to download. We believe in spreading this intelligence and we do not want money to be a barrier to that. Fill in the short form on the right to get access to this report.

Chapters & Content

Chapter 1 – Cell Prep Possibilities : Sample Prep and Cell Isolation Methods for Single-cell

This first chapter introduces the basic single-cell workflow, as well as best practices and the latest commercial methods in sample preparation and cell isolation, ready for single-cell sequencing.

Hear from the Experts 1

Single-Cell Technologies Q&A.

Chapter 2 – Single-Cell Solutions: Methods, Kits & Instruments for Single-Cell

This chapter describes the single-cell technology landscape as of 2024. It showcases the latest available commercial single-cell kits and instruments, allowing you to directly compare the specs and performance of each.

Chapter 3 – Spatial Selection: Comparing Spatial Transcriptomic Workflows

We have seen an assortment of spatial transcriptomic instruments and workflows be made available in the last few years, but which ones look the most promising for your work? This chapter address that question head-on by comparing the performance and applications of commercial spatial transcriptomic methods.

Hear from the Experts 2

Spatial Technologies Q&A.

Chapter 4 – Proteomic Predicament: Finding the Right Spatial Proteomic Approach

Alongside the array of transcriptomic platforms, an equally abundant selection of proteomic platforms is also available. This chapter will review these platforms, how they work, and showcase which ones might be best for you.

Chapter 5 - Finding Focus: Sample Prep, Imaging and Microscopy for Spatial Biology

The end-to-end spatial instruments for spatial are exciting, but sometimes you want the flexibility to prepare, stain and image your slides the way you want. This chapter looks at the different options for histology, imaging and microscopy in spatial workflows.

Chapter 6 - In Addition: Incorporating Multi-omics in Single-cell and Spatial Workflows

One thing that may be on your mind, is how to incorporate additional analytes into your single-cell and spatial assay. This chapter will look at the options and the ways you can do this with commercial kits.

Hear from the Experts 3

The Resolution Revolution: Going Beyond Single-cell Analysis as You Know It.

Chapter 7 – Outsourcing Outlook: The Benefits of Outsourcing Single-Cell and Spatial

This chapter presents a different consideration for your project; should you outsource some, most, or potentially all of your single-cell or spatial workflow (including analysis)?

Chapter 8 - Analysis Aid: Ways to get the most out of your single-cell and spatial data

If the wet lab workflows are challenging, dealing with single-cell and spatial data can be overwhelming. This chapter will review some common data analysis practices and signpost to useful platforms and resources, both commercial and open-source, to organise and analyse that data.

Chapter 9 - Broader Considerations: ESG, Lawsuits and the Wild West

Our final chapter will outline some other factors that you may want to bear in mind when thinking about which single-cell and spatial workflows to invest in.

Contributors

John M. Ashton, PHD, MBA Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Genetics Director, Genomics Research Center Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester

Oliver Biehlmaier, PhD, Head of the Imaging Core Facility at the Biozentrum, University of Basel

Mandovi Chatterjee, Director, Single-cell Core, Harvard Medical School

David Cook, Scientist, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Assistant Professor, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa

Andrea Corsinotti, Single-cell Multi-omics Facility Manager, Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh

Jonathan Coxhead, Senior Experimental Officer, Newcastle University

Josh Fienman, Scientist, Genomics (NGS Technology Center), Pfizer

Austin Hartman, PhD Candidate, Stanford University

Sam Jackson, Tools and Technology Platform Manager,  UKDRI

Jan-Phillipp Mallm, Head, Single-cell Open Lab, DKFZ German Cancer Research Center

Michalina Mazurczyk, Mass Cytometry Facility Manager, Medical Research Council Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford

Dara McCreary, PhD, Scientific Business Analyst, Sapio Sciences

Catia Moutinho, Founder & Scientific Advisor, The Single-Cell World

 Michelle Ocana, Managing Director, Neurobiology Imaging Facility, Harvard Medical School

Linda Orzolek, Director, Single Cell & Transcriptomics Core, John Hopkins University (at time of contribution), Single cell & Transcriptomics Senior Product Manager, Psomagen (Now)

Carolina Oses Sepulveda, Researcher and Lab Manager, Spatial Proteomics Unit, SciLifeLab (KTH Royal Institute of Technology)

Debbie Wilkinson, Co-Manager and Senior Microscopy Application Specialist, Microscopy and Histology Core Facility, University of Aberdeen

Devjanee Swain Lenz, Director, Sequencing and Genome Technologies, Duke Center for Genomic and Computational Biology

Ioannis Vlachos, Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School, Director of the Spatial Transcriptomic Technologies Unit, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center