Model uncovers cell signaling programs in brain aging and cancer
Across more than 5.8 million spatially profiled cells, SpiderNet identified directed cell-cell interaction programs, including a T-cell-associated brain-aging program and pan-cancer signaling networks.
bioRxiv
In simulated datasets and spatial transcriptomic profiles of more than 5.8 million cells from tissues including cancers and aging brains, researchers evaluated SpiderNet, a computational framework that maps directed cell-cell communication programs. The tool learns sender regulators, ligand-receptor pairs, and receiver target genes across neighboring cells. Across these datasets, SpiderNet resolved an SPP1-THBS relay linking monocytes, fibroblasts, and tumor cells in ovarian cancer niches and predicted T-cell responses to melanoma-cell perturbations. In neural tissue, the framework identified a T-cell-associated brain-aging program and age-predictive signals that transferred across different regions and profiling platforms. It also revealed a pan-cancer interaction program linked to poorer survival.
Why it matters
Mapping how neighboring cells exchange signals helps researchers trace the multicellular relays that drive brain aging and age-related tissue decline.
Caveats
The study is a computational preprint that has not yet undergone peer review, and the predicted cell-cell interaction programs require experimental validation in living tissues.
The paper
A meta-interaction basis for cell-cell communication in tissues
Carnegie Mellon University
bioRxiv · 27 Sep 2026 · Preprint, not peer-reviewed