ABRF Technology Town Hall on Spatial Omics

Everything you Wanted to Know about Spatial Omics.....and Don’t Be Afraid to Ask

Wednesday, March 20, 2024
12:00 – 1:30 pm ET
Please note that an extra 30 minutes has been allotted to give more time to ask questions and share ideas.

Register here

This Town Hall will be led by two leaders in the Spatial Omics community:

Luciano Martelotto, University of Adelaide, Australia

Ioannis Vlachos, Harvard University, USA

Everyone that works in or supports Spatial Omics is encouraged to attend this interactive ABRF Technology Town Hall. This is an opportunity to meet and interact with your peers in addressing any challenges and exploring opportunities in providing spatial omics services.  Please note that anyone is welcome to join.

This Technology Town Hall on Spatial Omics will be divided into 3 parts.  Possible topics of discussion for each part are outlined below. 
All parts will be recorded.

Part 1-Introduction/Overview (All)

Part 2a-Core Lab Sample Prep Challenges and Opportunities (Concurrent Breakout)

Part 2b-Data Management Challenges and Opportunities (Concurrent Breakout)

Part 3- Recap and open discussion (All)

Part 1:  An Introduction to the Technology

To cover the fundamentals of the technology in question, explaining its purpose, how it works, and its place in the broader context of its field. 
Key points could include:

-Historical Background: Briefly describe the evolution of this technology and its predecessors.

-Core Principles: Explain the basic scientific principles or technological concepts that underpin this technology.

-Applications: Highlight the primary applications and the problems it solves or the needs it addresses.

-Advancements and Innovations: Discuss recent advancements in the technology and potential future developments.

Part 2a:  Core Lab Sample Preparation Challenges and Opportunities (Breakout)

To delve into the specific challenges and opportunities related to sample preparation, which is often a critical step in many scientific and technological processes.

-Challenges in Sample Preparation: Address common difficulties such as sample contamination, degradation, or inconsistency. Explain how these challenges can impact results or the efficiency of the process.

-Technological Solutions: Present current solutions or methodologies that have been developed to overcome these challenges.

-Emerging Techniques: Discuss any new techniques or tools that are emerging in the field and how they promise to address existing limitations.

-Opportunities for Improvement: Explore areas where sample preparation could be further improved, suggesting potential areas for research and development.

-Case example: maybe some of the benchmarking studies.

-Ask questions and share ideas

Part 2b:  Data Management Challenges and Opportunities (Break out Room)

To focus on the challenges and opportunities in managing the data generated by the technology, which is often vast and complex.

-Data Complexity and Volume: Explain the scale and complexity of the data generated, and the challenges these characteristics pose.

-Data Processing and Analysis: Describe the tools and methods currently used for data processing and analysis, and the challenges involved in these processes.

-Innovations in Data Management: Highlight new software, algorithms, or computational methods that are enhancing data management capabilities.

-Ask questions and share ideas

Part 3:

Recap of the Breakout Room discussions

Future Directions: good opportunity management to speculate on the future of data management in this field, including potential advancements and the impact they could have on the technology’s effectiveness and applications.

More open time to ask questions and share ideas.