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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2025.09.24.678316

Mapping the molecular landscape of the living brain: integrating spatial transcriptomics and qMRI

Grant-Peters, M.·Thomas, G. E. C.·Zarkali, A.·Dobreva, I.·Weil, R.·Ryten, M.
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Abstract

Profiling dynamic molecular processes in neurodegeneration in vivo remains a major clinical challenge. Limited brain tissue accessibility especially limits the development and effective deployment of emerging disease modifying therapies, highlighting the need for non-invasive methods for profiling molecular disease processes. We introduce a non-invasive imaging framework that integrates ultra-high-resolution 7T quantitative MRI (qMRI) with spatially-resolved transcriptomics (SRT) to infer cell-type and pathway-specific molecular features within the cortical grey matter. This proof-of-concept establishes the integration of qMRI and SRT as a scalable, non-invasive platform for molecular profiling in neurodegeneration, with significant potential for precision therapeutic monitoring, drug development and clinical trials.

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Grant-Peters, M., Thomas, G. E. C., Zarkali, A., Dobreva, I., Weil, R., Ryten, M.. 2025-09-25. Mapping the molecular landscape of the living brain: integrating spatial transcriptomics and qMRI. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.09.24.678316

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