Spatial omics in pulmonary fibrosis: advancing mechanistic insights and therapeutic strategies

Pulmonary fibrosis, a group of chronic interstitial lung diseases charac-terized by persistent inflammation and aberrant deposition of fibrous connective tissue, poses a significant therapeutic challenge, with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) being its most representative and severe form. Spatially resolved omics technologies—encompassing spatial metabolomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics—have emerged as transformative tools that preserve the architectural context of tissues while enabling high-throughput, visualization-capable analysis of metabolites, genes, and proteins. Spatial metabolomics facilitates the visualization and intelligent annotation of metabolic landscapes; spatial transcriptomics deciphers regional heterogeneity and refines the molecular timeline of early disease events; and spatial proteomics elucidates protein interaction networks and uncovers novel drug-resistance mechanisms. Collectively, spatial omics provides unprece-dented insights into disease pathogenesis, offering a powerful framework for advancing precision diagnosis, identifying therapeutic targets, and guiding drug development. This article synthesizes recent progress in applying spatial omics to pulmonary fibrosis research, underscoring its potential to translate into more effective clinical strategies.