Spatial transcriptomics reveal unnresolved wound repair as potential driver of PFA Ependymoma progression

Childhood brain tumor ependymoma remains incurable in approximately 50 percent of cases. No oncogenic mechanism has been firmly established for the commonest ependymoma variant posterior fossa subgroup A (PFA), impeding clinical advances. Uncovering how heterogeneous cell types within the tumor microenvironment interact is crucial to a complete understanding of PFA disease progression. The underlying cellular components of the PFA tumor microenvironment have been revealed by single cell transcriptomics, identifying divergent epithelial differentiation and EMT lineages. Here we utilize spatial transcriptomics (Visium) of 14 PFA samples to chart neoplastic and immune cell architecture and identify novel biological processes. Overall design: spatial transcriptomics (Visium) of 14 PFA samples