This morning, a portion of my research team will join a virtual seminar on Spatial Transcriptomics – the science of knowing the identity of thousands of individual cells in a tissue (healthy or diseased), what each of those cells is doing (its functional state), as well as who is adjacent to whom (sphere of influence). My institute foresees Spatial Transcriptomics as a game-changing advance to understanding disease and to being able to personalize care; it’s right in our mission’s sweet spot.
The allocation of institutional attention and resources to the COVID-19 pandemic is also a major priority, rightly so. The institute has some significant scientific, technical, and thought-leadership to bring to bear on abbreviating this viral scourge.
As the whole enterprise commits to react to the immediate crisis while also keeping sight of the long term goals, it does not escape one’s attention how our Spatial Awareness (social distancing, critical need for connectivity, need to stay apprised of how each of us is faring in this noisy and distracting global disruption) remains a critical function in order for us to perform at our best. It’s the community’s form of Spatial Transcriptomics.
Practice different ways of connecting with each other (meaning experiment with process, track outcomes). We are already in a different world from 2 months ago. Accept the difference, and build your toolbox for how to not just listen online, but also how to connect at a level you once were used to doing in person. Discover by exploration ways to catch nuances of need or glimpses of celebration that are the bonds of our synergy. If you sense a nudge to make a 1:1 connection after a group chat, do it. We’ll all be better off. Spread some personal care.
