Galaxy single-cell & spatial omics community update: Navigating new frontiers in 2025

Area of Science:

• Genomics and Bioinformatics
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Single-cell omics technologies have transformed biological research by allowing high-resolution analysis of cellular heterogeneity.
• The field has expanded from transcriptomics to multiomics and spatial analysis, increasing the need for unified computational pipelines.
• Existing analyses lack standardization, highlighting the necessity for scalable, flexible, and integrated bioinformatics tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the need for unified pipelines in single-cell and spatial omics.
• To present the Galaxy platform's advancements in providing accessible tools and training for these analyses.
• To introduce the Galaxy single-cell and spatial omics community (SPOC) for global collaboration.

Main Methods:

• Leveraging the Galaxy platform to develop and integrate a suite of over 175 freely accessible tools.
• Creating more than 120 expert-reviewed training resources for single-cell and spatial omics data analysis.
• Implementing and managing over 300,000 jobs on the Galaxy platform.

Main Results:

• The Galaxy platform now offers a comprehensive ecosystem for single-cell and spatial omics research.
• Extensive training materials empower researchers to perform and interpret complex analyses independently.
• The development of the Galaxy SPOC facilitates global collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Conclusions:

• The Galaxy platform provides a robust, scalable, and accessible solution for single-cell and spatial omics research.
• The initiative promotes reproducible, usable, and sustainable scientific practices in the field.
• Galaxy SPOC is poised to advance global collaboration in advancing single-cell and spatial omics research.