Key Takeaways
· Pan-Cancer Atlas: 10X Genomics, Garvan Institute, and University of Tokyo will map cancer–immune interactions across 2,000 tumours using Xenium spatial technology.
· ASTRA Launch: Consortium aims to integrate spatial and molecular data for ten cancer types; launched at the ASTRA Conference in Sydney (19–21 Nov 2025).
· Regional Expansion: Plans include new Asia-Pacific hubs and shared digital infrastructure to drive global collaboration and treatment diversity.
10x Genomics and the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Australia and the University of Tokyo in Japan announced an initiative to create a comprehensive pan-cancer spatial atlas.
The Asia Pacific Spatial Translational Research Alliance (ASTRA) is a consortium that encourages collaboration in spatial research across the Asia Pacific region. It will use 10x Genomics’ Xenium spatial platform to map how cancer and immune cells interact and communicate across 2,000 tumour samples.
The consortium will bring together researchers, clinicians and scientists to study ten major cancer types using Xenium panels tailored to specific tissues. The project will integrate molecular and spatial data across tumour types and use this to identify immune interactions and molecular features that vary across population. This will create a shared reference for cancer biology that informs both local and global therapeutic development.
The ASTRA Consortium will formally launch at the inaugural ASTRA Conference, taking place November 19-21, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. Investigators will have the opportunity to share early pilot data generated on the Xenium platform and outline plans to scale the atlas across cancer types, institutions, and regional hubs.
Dr Ankur Sharma, Laboratory Head at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research stated: “By combining our expertise and leveraging 10x's cutting-edge Xenium spatial technology, we aim to build the most comprehensive cancer atlas for our part of the world.”
This ambitious project will expand participation to include additional partners across the Asia-Pacific region to establish new regional spatial biology hubs and digital infrastructure for data sharing practices. Ben Hindson, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of 10x Genomics said: “Projects like ASTRA show how spatial biology connects researchers across borders and helps translate cellular insight into treatments that reflect global patient diversity.”
