Northwestern University's SOAR Platform: A 'Molecular GPS' to Accelerate Drug Discovery
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'Molecular GPS' offers detailed gene maps to fast-track drug discovery
Scientists at Northwestern University have developed the largest open-access resource of its kind to help researchers shave off months of early-stage drug development time by allowing them to better understand diseases and find potential treatments. Called SOAR (Spatial transcriptOmics Analysis Resource), the now-live platform is a one-stop shop that helps scientists explore how genes behave differently in various parts of the body, shows them how cells might be talking to each other and enables them to find new drug possibilities. Spatial transcriptomics is a cutting-edge scientific method that helps researchers see which genes are active in different parts of a tissue, essentially giving scientists a bird's-eye view of cell interactions. SOAR is the first comprehensive spatial-transcriptomics resource designed expressly to accelerate drug-discovery pipelines. "It's too expensive and too time-consuming to push thousands of potential drug candidates to the preclinical study and clinical trials," said corresponding author Yuan Luo, chief AI officer of the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences (NUCATS) Institute and the Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "We need to pick the right leads and then push them to downstream studies. This resource will help prioritize that." SOAR aggregates data across 441 spatial transcriptomics datasets from 19 different spatial transcriptomics companies, allowing researchers to see detailed maps of gene activity across 3,461 tissue samples from 13 species (from humans to zebrafish) and 42 tissue types (e.g. breast, lung, brain, bowel, etc.). By showing how genes are expressed -- turned on or off -- in different parts of a tissue and connecting that to how certain chemicals affect cells, this dataset acts like a "molecular GPS" -- helping scientists zero in on the exact biological processes that could be targeted to treat diseases, Luo said. Studying IBS to breast cancer With disease, Luo said, it's often not the cell activity itself that is problematic, but rather where the cell activity is occurring. "If immune cells are attacking normal cells in regular tissue, that's really bad because that could give you inflammatory disease, like the irritable bowel disease," Luo said. "Or if the immune cells are not attacking cancer cells in a tumor microenvironment, that is really a bad thing because it lets the cancer grow. "SOAR helps examine the variability and interactions to give researchers the understanding of what mechanism is going on so they can better understand what is underlining the disease." Peking University's Zexian Zeng (a former trainee in the Luo lab and Northwestern alumnus) is a co-corresponding study author.
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New open access tool could accelerate drug discovery
Northwestern UniversityJun 12 2025 Scientists at Northwestern University have developed the largest open-access resource of its kind to help researchers shave off months of early-stage drug development time by allowing them to better understand diseases and find potential treatments. Called SOAR (Spatial transcriptOmics Analysis Resource), the now-live platform is a one-stop shop that helps scientists explore how genes behave differently in various parts of the body, shows them how cells might be talking to each other and enables them to find new drug possibilities. Spatial transcriptomics is a cutting-edge scientific method that helps researchers see which genes are active in different parts of a tissue, essentially giving scientists a bird's eye view of cell interactions. SOAR is the first comprehensive spatial-transcriptomics resource designed expressly to accelerate drug-discovery pipelines. It's too expensive and too time consuming to push thousands of potential drug candidates to the preclinical study and clinical trials. We need to pick the right leads and then push them to downstream studies. This resource will help prioritize that." Yuan Luo, corresponding author, chief AI officer of the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences (NUCATS) Institute and the Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Research findings using the resource will be published June 11 in Science Advances. Several pharmaceutical companies are already looking to use SOAR in their research, Luo said. Gives researchers a 'molecular GPS' SOAR aggregates data across 441 spatial transcriptomics datasets from 19 different spatial transcriptomics companies, allowingresearchers to see detailed maps of gene activity across 3,461 tissue samples from 13 species (from humans to zebrafish) and 42 tissue types (e.g. breast, lung, brain, bowel, etc.). By showing how genes are expressed - turned on or off - in different parts of a tissue and connecting that to how certain chemicals affect cells, this dataset acts like a "molecular GPS" - helping scientists zero in on the exact biological processes that could be targeted to treat diseases, Luo said. Studying IBS to breast cancer With disease, Luo said it's often not the cell activity itself that is problematic, but rather where the cell activity is occurring. "If immune cells are attacking normal cells in regular tissue, that's really bad because that could give you inflammatory disease, like the irritable bowel disease," Luo said. "Or if the immune cells are not attacking cancer cells in a tumor microenvironment, that is really a bad thing because it lets the cancer grow. "SOAR helps examine the variability and interactions to give researchers the understanding of what mechanism is going on so they can better understand what is underlining the disease." Peking University's Zexian Zeng (a former trainee in the Luo lab and Northwestern alumnus) is a co-corresponding study author. Other Northwestern authors on the study include Yiming Li, Yanyi Ding, Saya Dennis, Meghan R. Hutch, Jiaqi Zhou, Yawei Li, Maalavika Pillai, Sanaz Ghotbaldini, Mario Alberto Garcia, Mia S. Broad, Chengsheng Mao and Parambir S. Dulai. Northwestern University Journal reference: Li, Y., et al. (2025). SOAR elucidates biological insights and empowers drug discovery through spatial transcriptomics. Science Advances. doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adt7450.
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Scientists at Northwestern University have developed SOAR, an open-access platform that uses spatial transcriptomics to map gene activity across various tissues, potentially fast-tracking drug discovery processes.
Northwestern University Unveils SOAR: A Game-Changer in Drug Discovery
Scientists at Northwestern University have developed a revolutionary open-access resource called SOAR (Spatial transcriptOmics Analysis Resource), which promises to significantly accelerate the early stages of drug discovery. This innovative platform, described as a "molecular GPS," offers researchers unprecedented insights into gene behavior across various parts of the body, potentially shaving months off the drug development process
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.Understanding SOAR: The Molecular GPS
Source: Phys.org
SOAR leverages spatial transcriptomics, a cutting-edge scientific method that allows researchers to visualize gene activity in different parts of a tissue. This technology provides a comprehensive view of cell interactions, enabling scientists to better understand disease mechanisms and identify potential drug targets
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.The platform aggregates data from 441 spatial transcriptomics datasets, sourced from 19 different companies. This extensive collection offers detailed gene activity maps across:
- 3,461 tissue samples
- 13 species (ranging from humans to zebrafish)
- 42 tissue types (including breast, lung, brain, and bowel)
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Accelerating Drug Discovery
Dr. Yuan Luo, the corresponding author and chief AI officer at Northwestern University's Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, emphasizes the platform's potential to streamline the drug discovery process:
"It's too expensive and too time-consuming to push thousands of potential drug candidates to the preclinical study and clinical trials. We need to pick the right leads and then push them to downstream studies. This resource will help prioritize that."
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By providing a comprehensive view of gene expression patterns and cell interactions, SOAR enables researchers to:
- Explore gene behavior in various body parts
- Analyze potential cell-to-cell communication
- Identify new drug possibilities
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Applications in Disease Research
Source: News-Medical
SOAR's capabilities extend to various areas of disease research. Dr. Luo explains that in many cases, the location of cell activity is crucial in understanding and treating diseases:
"If immune cells are attacking normal cells in regular tissue, that's really bad because that could give you inflammatory disease, like the irritable bowel disease. Or if the immune cells are not attacking cancer cells in a tumor microenvironment, that is really a bad thing because it lets the cancer grow."
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The platform's ability to examine cellular variability and interactions provides researchers with a deeper understanding of disease mechanisms, from inflammatory conditions like irritable bowel syndrome to various types of cancer.
Industry Impact and Future Prospects
The potential of SOAR has not gone unnoticed in the pharmaceutical industry. Several companies are already exploring ways to incorporate the platform into their research processes, highlighting its perceived value in drug discovery and development
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.As the largest open-access resource of its kind, SOAR represents a significant step forward in the field of spatial transcriptomics. Its application in drug discovery pipelines could lead to more efficient identification of promising drug candidates, potentially reducing the time and cost associated with bringing new treatments to market
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.The research findings using SOAR were published in the journal Science Advances on June 11, 2025, marking a new era in the application of spatial transcriptomics to accelerate drug discovery and enhance our understanding of complex biological processes
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