Emerging Insights in Single-Cell and Spatial Omics for Disease Mechanisms
A special issue of Genes (ISSN 2073-4425). This special issue belongs to the section "Human Genomics and Genetic Diseases".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 November 2026 | Viewed by 154
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue, “Emerging Insights in Single-Cell and Spatial Omics for Disease Mechanisms,” aims to highlight the transformative role of single-cell and spatially resolved omics technologies in advancing our understanding of the molecular and cellular basis of human diseases. These approaches enable the high-resolution characterization of cellular heterogeneity while preserving tissue architecture, offering unprecedented insights into complex biological systems across diverse disease contexts.
Over the past decade, single-cell sequencing has revolutionized the identification of distinct cellular populations and states, while spatial omics technologies have further enabled the mapping of these cells within their native tissue environments. The integration of these modalities has opened new avenues for dissecting tissue organization, uncovering disease-associated cellular programs, and understanding cell–cell communication networks that drive disease initiation and progression.
Recent advances in high-resolution platforms, including single-cell RNA sequencing, spatial transcriptomics (e.g., Visium HD, Xenium, MERFISH), and multi-omics integration strategies, have significantly expanded our ability to investigate diseases such as cancer, inflammatory disorders, neurodegeneration, and infectious diseases. These technologies are reshaping our understanding of disease ecosystems and enabling the discovery of novel therapeutic targets.
This Special Issue seeks to cover a broad range of topics, including, but not limited to, technological innovations in single-cell and spatial omics, computational methods for integrative analysis, multi-omics data integration, and applications in elucidating disease mechanisms. We particularly encourage studies focusing on cellular heterogeneity, spatial niches, tissue microenvironment dynamics, and therapeutic responses.
We welcome original research articles, reviews, and methodological papers that present cutting-edge advances and innovative applications of single-cell and spatial omics in disease biology, especially those that bridge basic research and clinical translation.
Dr. Yang Liu
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Genes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- single-cell omics
- spatial omics
- disease mechanisms
- tissue microenvironment
- cell–cell communication
- multi-omics integration
- cellular heterogeneity
- systems biology
- computational biology
- precision medicine
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
