SIG Greatest Hits: TLM 2025-Hepatotoxicity SIG: Using Spatial Multiomics Tools to Study Hepatotoxicity

Hepatotoxicity SIG: Using Spatial Multiomics Tools to Study Hepatotoxicity

Video Transcription

Video Summary

Dr. Johnny Sexton, Associate Professor at the University of Michigan, discussed emerging spatial omics tools revolutionizing the study of drug-induced liver injury (DILI). These spatially resolved methods combine wet lab and computational approaches to provide mechanistic insights into DILI beyond traditional liver function tests and histology. Spatial omics allow detailed investigation of liver zonation, immune infiltration, and cellular neighborhoods during injury and regeneration. Techniques covered include spatial transcriptomics (Visium, Visium HD, Xenium), imaging mass cytometry, hyperplex immunofluorescence, and mass spectral imaging, each offering unique resolution and molecular targets such as transcripts or proteins. Dr. Sexton emphasized the importance of carefully planning biopsy use due to limited tissue and highlighted tools for image quality control. He presented case studies demonstrating identification of regenerative hepatocyte populations, senescence markers, and immune profiling in checkpoint inhibitor-induced DILI. He encouraged collaboration with core facilities and bioinformaticians to effectively utilize spatial omics for advancing DILI understanding and biomarker discovery.

Asset Subtitle

Talk delivered by Dr. Jonny Sexton. Talk was part of the Hepatotoxicity and PLD SIG Joint Symposium part 2 session.

Keywords

spatial omics

drug-induced liver injury

spatial transcriptomics

imaging mass cytometry

biomarker discovery