IMAXT Phase II

The IMAXT project spearheaded a revolution in the “spatial biology” field.

It is now widely accepted that capturing single-cell and spatial information can be transformative for our understanding of cancer, and that spatial information has prognostic value.

There is a huge interest in the field of cancer biology for applying spatial “omics” methods to clinical samples in order to predict treatment response, stratify patients for the correct treatment, and improve diagnosis.

However, spatial biology methods are still complex and expensive, and the sheer number of technologies available, each one with very specific caveats, makes it very difficult to choose the best tool for each experimental question.

In addition, no technology is really effective on its own, suggesting a multi-modal and multi-method approach for most studies. This in turns requires very investments beyond the reach of most individual laboratories.

After the success of the IMAXT project, we have assembled most of the available spatial technologies, as well as computational resources and tools to process and integrate them into datasets capable of supporting new discoveries.

Our technologies, infrastructure, team, and pipelines have now all reached sufficient maturity to be shared more widely with the research community, and are capable of tackling large studies.

This platform could enable transformative projects for years to come and be transformative for cancer science in the UK and beyond.

This is why we are seeking continued support for the phase II of IMAXT, or, as we came to call it, the Spatial Profiling and Annotation Centre of Excellence (SPACE).

Our vision is for SPACE to be both a sample and data processing centre for large collaborative projects, and an incubator for small pilot studies aimed at producing preliminary data or test new ideas.

We will use Phase II funding to support a core technical and scientific stuff, maintain and upgrade our technologies, and perform technology development to stay at the forefront of the spatial omics field.

While large collaborative projects will largely by funded externally, we will support smaller pilot projects by providing expertise, data management, and covering sample costs, with the aim of enabling future grant applications. We will also leverage our connections with the Addenbrookes hospital to enable large-scale clinical studies.

Overall, we aim to transform SPACE into a world-leading centre for spatial biology, synergizing both with other CGC teams and with the community in general.