Spatially tuneable multi-omics sequencing using light-driven combinatorial barcoding of molecules in tissues / RNA_LCM

A wide range of methods enable spatial profiling of regions, some down to the level of individual cells, in their anatomical context, via different barcoding schemes that encode either the location or the identity of target molecules.

However, all these technologies face a trade-off between spatial resolution, depth of profiling, and scalability. Here, we present Barcoding by Activated Linkage of Indexes (BALI), a method that uses light to write combinatorial spatial molecular barcodes directly onto target molecules in situ, enabling multi-omics profiling by next generation sequencing. A unique feature of BALI is that the user can define the number, size, and shape of the spatial locations to be interrogated, with the potential to profile millions of distinct regions down to subcellular scale.