Single-cell transcriptomics brings stroke thrombi into cellular and molecular focus: A commentary on “characterizing stroke clots using single-cell sequencing”

Abstract

Single-cell transcriptomic profiling of human ischemic stroke thrombi represents a major advance in our understanding of cerebrovascular pathobiology. In their recent study, Renedo et al. applied single-cell RNA sequencing to thrombectomy-retrieved thrombi, revealing that stroke thrombi are not inert embolic material but rather structured, immunologically active microenvironments shaped by stroke etiology. These findings align with emerging spatial and multimodal evidence that thrombi retain etiology-specific cellular and functional identities after embolization. For clarity, the term “thrombus” is used throughout this manuscript to refer to the occlusive material retrieved during mechanical thrombectomy.