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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2023 Jul 1.
Published in final edited form as: Semin Cancer Biol. 2021 Jul 16;82:3–10. doi: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2021.07.010

Table 1.

Summary of enabling technologies for assessing tumor heterogeneity

Technology scRNA-seq Suspension mass cytometry Imaging mass cytometry Spatial transcriptomics
Molecule detected RNA Protein Protein RNA
Resolution Single cell Single cell Single cell 1 to 10 cells
Multiplexicity Whole transcriptome Around 40 markers Around 40 markers From 100 RNA species to whole transcriptome
Spatial No, unless combined with laser capture microdissection No Yes Yes
Limitations Dropout of low abundant transcripts; Doublets contamination Depends on the availability and specificity of antibodies; Relies on a prior knowledge of cell markers Depends on the availability and specificity of antibodies; Relies on a prior knowledge of cell markers; Multiple fields need to be analyzed to minimize regional bias Not single cell resolution in some platforms
cost-effective (calculated per cell) *** ***** ** *