Li, Mingyao

Summary: The transition from 2D to 3D spatial profiling marks a revolutionary era in cancer research, offering unprecedented potential to enhance cancer diagnosis and treatment. This commentary outlines the experimental and computational advancements and challenges in 3D spatial molecular profiling, underscoring the innovation needed in imaging tools, software, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to overcome implementation hurdles and harness the full potential of 3D analysis in the field.

Sweat out the fat with TSLP! Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is a cytokine that can promote immune responses that characterize allergic diseases. Choa et al . found that mice engineered to produce elevated TSLP displayed selective white adipose tissue loss that protected them from obesity, insulin resistance, and steatohepatitis (see the Perspective by Schneider). Protection was not mediated by eosinophils, regulatory T cells, or innate lymphoid cells. Rather, TLSP induced the migration of conventional T cells to sebaceous glands in the skin. Once there, these T cells promoted white adipose tissue loss by the hypersecretion of sebum, a lipid-rich substance that augments the skin’s barrier function. This mechanism, which likely evolved to enhance cutaneous antimicrobial defenses, could be possibly targeted in future treatments for obesity. —STS