Spatial Heterogeneity
Spatial Heterogeneity - Related Videos
08:52
Spatial Molecular Imaging of the Glycome Using Mass Spectrometry
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Cited by 1 •
2025
This protocol details the key steps to enable rigorous and reproducible measurement of both glycogen and N-linked glycans using mass spectrometry imaging.
09:09
Laser Capture Microdissection of Glioma Subregions for Spatial and Molecular Characterization of Intratumoral Heterogeneity, Oncostreams, and Invasion
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Cited by 9 •
2020
Laser microdissection (LMD) is a sensitive and highly reproducible technique that can be used to uncover pathways that mediate glioma heterogeneity and invasion. Here, we describe an optimized protocol to isolate discrete areas from glioma tissue using laser LMD followed by transcriptomic analysis.
07:51
Spatial Cueing
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2023
Source: Laboratory of Jonathan Flombaum—Johns Hopkins University Attention refers to the limited human ability to select some information for processing at the expense of other stimuli in the environment. Attention operates in all sensory modalities: vision, hearing, touch, even taste and smell. It is most often studied in the visual domain though. A common way to study visual attention is with a spatial cueing paradigm. This paradigm allows researchers to measure the consequences of focusing...
01:22
Heterogeneous Catalysis
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2026
Heterogeneous catalysis involves a catalyst in a different phase from the reactants. It is a process where the catalyst and the reactants are in distinct phases, typically solid and gas or liquid.Most heterogeneous catalysts are metals, metal oxides, or acids. The list includes transition metals like iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), tungsten (W), silver (Ag), and copper (Cu). These metals possess partially vacant d orbitals that...
07:11
Sampling Soils in a Heterogeneous Research Plot
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Cited by 21 •
2019
The traditional soil-sampling procedure determines the number of soil samples arbitrarily. Here, we provide a simple yet efficient clustered soil-sampling design to demonstrate soil spatial heterogeneity and quantitatively determine the number of soil samples required and the associated sampling accuracy.
FAQs
Cells detect local differences through receptors, adhesion structures, and mechanotransduction pathways. Receptors respond to nearby chemical conditions, adhesion structures connect cells with the extracellular matrix, and mechanotransduction pathways convert physical cues such as stiffness or flow into cellular signals. Together, these mechanisms allow cells in different regions of an engineered construct to organize, grow, differentiate, or respond differently.
These cues create distinct local microenvironments that cells can sense and interpret. Chemical gradients alter conditions from one region to another, while extracellular matrix stiffness supplies localized mechanical information. Fluid flow adds another spatially varying signal. Their combined effects can produce uneven growth, differentiation, transport, or therapeutic responses instead of a single behavior throughout the construct.
Mapping local variation helps connect specific microenvironmental conditions with the behavior observed in each region. This is important because an engineered construct may show uneven growth, differentiation, transport, or therapeutic response even when treated as one system. Identifying these spatial patterns can reveal how local conditions influence performance and can guide designs that better reproduce native physiology.
Engineers examine how properties and activities vary across tissues, biomaterials, organ-on-chip systems, and bioreactors. The investigation centers on mapping local differences in cell density, extracellular matrix composition, chemical gradients, stiffness, or fluid flow, then relating those patterns to region-specific cellular behavior. This approach supports evaluation of organization, transport, regeneration, and physiological relevance.
Tissues, biomaterials, organ-on-chip systems, and bioreactors provide distinct settings for creating or studying localized microenvironments. Engineers can use these platforms to examine how cells respond to regional differences in matrix composition, stiffness, chemical conditions, cell density, or flow. Such designs help model native physiology, guide cell organization, and assess performance in controlled engineered environments.
In tissue regeneration, engineered spatial cues can guide cells into organized regions and help create environments that resemble native tissue. In organ-on-chip research, localized differences can model the distinct microenvironments found within biological systems. Studying these patterns also clarifies why cells may grow, differentiate, transport substances, or respond to therapies unevenly across an engineered model.