Spatial Genomics Tool Tracks Long-Range DNA Contacts While Keeping Tissue Layout Intact

A newly described spatial genomics tool can chart interactions between distant parts of DNA while keeping each cell's location within a tissue intact, Phys.org reported on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. The development points to a way of studying genetic activity in the context of surrounding tissue rather than in cells removed from it.

According to Phys.org, the method captures long-range DNA interactions — contacts between regions of the genome that sit far apart along the DNA strand. Such contacts are central to how genes are switched on and off, and mapping them is a longstanding goal in genomics research.

The distinguishing feature of the tool, as Phys.org describes it, is that it preserves spatial information. Cells stay anchored to their positions inside the tissue while their DNA contacts are recorded, so researchers can link molecular data to physical location.

Conventional approaches to profiling DNA interactions typically require tissue to be broken down, which separates cells from their neighbors. The new method, per Phys.org, is designed to avoid that trade-off, keeping the tissue map and the genomic readout together.

The report does not detail the underlying chemistry, the resolution of the maps, or which tissues were tested, and Phys.org's summary provides no performance figures or comparisons with existing techniques.

What to watch next: whether independent labs adopt the approach and whether further reporting clarifies how finely it resolves individual cells within a tissue sample.