ASTRA 2026 — Nara, Japan, 28–30 September Abstracts close 7 September

Asia-Pacific Spatial Translational Research Alliance

A pan-cancer spatial atlas for the Asia-Pacific.

ASTRA is mapping 5,000+ tumours across ten cancer types at single-cell resolution, alongside a fetal developmental reference, to identify oncofetal cell states and predict therapy response.

5,000+Tumour samples
10Major cancer types
7Countries and territories
2025Launched 19 November, Garvan and the University of Tokyo

The atlas

Asia-Pacific populations are thinly represented in global cancer data. ASTRA is building the reference that closes the gap.

Scale

5,000+ tumours

Ten major cancer types, with custom panels designed tissue by tissue.

Reference

Fetal baseline

Developmental tissue profiled alongside tumours, to identify oncofetal cell states.

Method

RNA and protein

Xenium and imaging mass cytometry on the same section, coregistered cell by cell.


Network

Seven countries and territories.

ASTRA began between Sydney and Tokyo and is expanding. Membership is open to laboratories generating or analysing spatial data in cancer.

The ASTRA mark: a map of the Asia-Pacific drawn as a field of cells.

People

Steering Committee


Meetings

The annual conference


Publications

Work from the alliance

Funded by

Technology partners

ASTRA is supported by the ASPIRE program, a bilateral initiative between Japan's Agency for Medical Research and Development and Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council.

Join ASTRA

ASTRA is expanding across the region. Bring your cohort.

Tell us what you run and which cancers you work on.