Cell Painting from "Integrated spatial morpho-transcriptomics predicts functional traits in pancreatic cancer"

However, characterization of cellular morphological properties is limited. We studied cell morphologies of human pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cell lines and their associations with drug sensitivity, gene expression, and functional properties.

By integrating live cell and spatial mRNA imaging, we identified KRAS inhibitor–induced morphological changes specific for drug-resistant cells that correlated with gene expression changes. We then categorized a large panel of patient-derived PDAC cell lines into morphological (e.g., polygonal, irregular, spheroid) and organizational (e.g., tightly aggregated, multilayered, dispersed) subtypes and found differences in gene expression, therapeutic targeting potential, and metastatic proclivity.