Despite significant scientific advancements, researchers still face major gaps in understanding the complex mechanisms that drive biology and disease. Spatial proteomics technologies can help address this challenge, though platform differences in data fidelity and robustness can still limit the depth of biological insights.
Mark R. Munch, PhD
President
Bruker Nano Group
Chief Executive Officer
Bruker Spatial Genomics, Inc.
Mehosh Dziadzio (Mehosh Photography)
At AGBT 2026, Bruker Spatial Biology introduced the CellScape™ XR, the next generation of its spatial proteomics platform, designed to deliver high-fidelity data with robust and flexible workflows. In this Innovation Spotlight, Mark R. Munch, president of Bruker Nano Group and chief executive officer of Bruker Spatial Genomics, Inc., discusses how advances in spatial proteomics help researchers better capture biological complexity.
Why is it important to capture the full complexity of biology?
In the world of biological research, we understand so little about how biological mechanisms operate. Of course, great advancements have been made, but the set of what we don’t know greatly outweighs what we collectively do know. For example, there is a complex interplay in a variety of biological pathways that can be very elusive in trying to understand diseased states. In the efforts to understand the underpinnings of these disease states, one needs as much accurate and rigorous information that one can get. Spatial biology not only can give the pattern of cell types in the tumor microenvironment for instance, but if performed at a high enough information fidelity (e.g., completeness and accuracy of information), one can begin to make headway in the spatial interplay of these complex pathways. To do this, each ‘omic specialty’ needs to be done at high fidelity (resolution, plexity, dynamic range, etc.) and in addition, it is important to knit together the different omic layers. All of this is what we have been doing at Bruker.
What are some of the key spatial biology challenges?
I think it is important for tissue-based disease research to have access to high quality spatial data. So, for the field, it is important to have accurate and rigorous data. There can be some confusing information out there and some lack of rigor in some of the information. Our job is to make sure that we are helping with the standard of high-quality data and helping with good analysis of the data. The data amount is not a challenge if one approaches it correctly.
How does Bruker’s CellScape XR platform enable the study of protein expression?
Just like there is a continuum in transcript expression, there is a continuum in protein expression. In other words, protein expression is not just a ‘there, not there’ phenomenon; there is a continuum from very high expressors to very low expressors. The CellScape XR platform has a number of unique features that enable the highest fidelity, most quantitative spatial proteomics capability stemming from: best-in-class resolution; orders of magnitude higher dynamic range detection (8-log high dynamic range detection); largest viewing area; and unlimited ability to plex by maintaining sample and epitope integrity that allow researchers to see the whole continuum. Each feature is best in class, and nothing comes close in terms of returning the highest quantitative information to see this wide continuum in protein expression. With all the biological complexity going on, it is important not to miss such information.
How do Bruker’s platforms complement one another?
Each of our platforms bring best-in-class fidelity for their own set of omic specialties while having same-slide workflow to knit the omic layer information together, complementing between platforms. For example, with the CosMx® SMI platform, we have single-cell and subcellular whole transcriptome along with a protein panel for cell segmentation. We can run the same slide on the CellScape XR platform to take the single-cell and subcellular proteomic information further since we can see the whole continuum in protein expression to identify cell type subclasses and can run an unlimited number of custom proteins. The same is true for the GeoMx® DSP, where we can use the same slide from GeoMx to CellScape or GeoMx to CosMx for instance.
What are some of the applications of these platforms in cancer and neuroscience research?
The applications in cancer and neuroscience are quite broad. For example, at this year’s AGBT, Dr. Nigel Jamieson spoke about several examples, including early disease profiling in colorectal cancer for 46 patient samples, adjuvant assessment of lung cancer across over 1000 patients, and complete functional pathway analysis in metastatic liver cancer. These studies have leveraged the power of CosMx, GeoMx, and CellScape.
At AACR 2025, Dr. Will Hwang presented high-fidelity analysis of tumor biology and treatment response in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. His work highlighted cancer-nerve interactions using CosMx. The study also demonstrated how combining CosMx with GeoMx and CellScape enables deeper, multi-layer spatial characterization of complex disease biology.
In neuroscience, our platforms are used to study neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. I would refer to a variety of posters by Dr. Miranda Orr, who is researching the role of phosphorylated tau accumulation in cellular senescence and its effects on brain aging and Alzheimer's disease.
Applications go beyond cancer and neuroscience. For instance, Dr. Parambir Dulai presented his cutting-edge research on gastrointestinal tract diseases at AGBT. He showed the power of multiplatform work and why understanding the continuum in protein expression is important by subclassing his data with different levels of FoxP3 T cell populations.
