Unleashing the Potential of Spatial Transcriptomics: Statistical Innovations for Translational Research

Raphael Gottardo, PhD
Professor
Biomedical Data Science
University of Lausanne

Founding Director
Biomedical Data Science Center
Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV)
Switzerland
 

This conference is hosted by Sébastien Sabbagh and Michel Cayouette. This conference is part of the 2025-2026 IRCM conference calendar.

About this conference
Recent advances in single-cell and spatial technologies are revolutionizing our understanding of gene and protein functions at the cellular level within tissues. These breakthroughs can lead to new insights from patient samples, such as tumor biopsies, which are critical for selecting personalized cancer treatments and understanding treatment responses. However, these complex data present significant statistical challenges that must be addressed to fully harness their potential.

In this talk, I will discuss our efforts in developing novel statistical methods to streamline data analysis and generate new translational insights. Additionally, I will highlight our involvement in large-scale data generation initiatives, including the MOSAIC project, which aim to create extensive resources with thousands of samples available for analysis.
 

About Raphael Gottardo
Prof. Raphael Gottardo is Full Professor of Biomedical Data Science at the University of Lausanne and Founding Director of the Biomedical Data Science Center at the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV). He also holds an adjunct professorship in the School of Life Sciences at École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).

Previously, he was Full Professor in the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, where he served as Scientific Director of the Translational Data Science Integrated Research Center and held an affiliate professorship in Statistics at the University of Washington.

Prof. Gottardo received his Ph.D. in Statistics from the University of Washington in 2005. His research focuses on the development of advanced computational and statistical methods for high-dimensional immunological data, including single-cell, cytometry, and spatial technologies, with applications in vaccinology, immunotherapy, and infectious diseases.

He has led numerous international research initiatives supported by the NIH, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the European Commission, and the Swiss National Science Foundation. More recently, he has been actively involved in large-scale initiatives including the MOSAIC consortium, IMMUcan and the Human Cell Atlas, advancing systems immunology and integrative analysis of complex biological data.

Prof. Gottardo’s work has been recognized with several prestigious honors, including the Mitchell Prize from the International Society for Bayesian Analysis and the Mortimer Spiegelman Award from the American Public Health Association.
 

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