cellresolved

Cellresolved is a term used to describe data, images, or analyses in which individual cells can be distinguished and assigned specific molecular measurements. In microscopy, cellresolved indicates that the imaging modality and processing pipeline provide single-cell spatial resolution, allowing researchers to map phenotypes, gene expression, or lineage markers to single cells. In sequencing- or imaging-based omics, a cellresolved dataset enables one-to-one linkage between cells and their molecular profiles, rather than aggregating signals across a tissue or sample.

The term originated as a neologism within discussions of high-resolution imaging and spatial genomics in the early 2020s. It signals the goal of resolving biological signals at the cellular level rather than at coarser tissue or population scales.

Applications include spatial transcriptomics with cell-level assignment, multiplexed protein imaging, and lineage tracing in developmental and cancer biology. Cellresolved data support accurate cell-type identification, analysis of microenvironmental niches, and inference of cell-cell interactions. In clinical contexts, achieving cellresolved measurements can improve diagnostics where cellular context matters.

Enabling technologies encompass high-resolution microscopy (confocal, multiphoton, light-sheet), multiplexed imaging, and computational workflows for cell segmentation, image registration, and identity inference. In sequencing-based approaches, robust cell-barcode demultiplexing and nucleus-to-cell assignment underpin cellresolved analysis. Limitations include segmentation errors, signal bleed-through, and the trade-off between throughput and resolution.

As a relatively new term, cellresolved lacks a universal formal definition, and different communities may apply it to slightly different thresholds of resolution. When used, it is common to accompany it with explicit metrics, such as spatial resolution in micrometers, barcode accuracy, or the percentage of cells confidently assigned.

See also: single-cell sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, high-resolution imaging, cell segmentation, image cytometry.