flow cytometry

peripheral blood

drug screening

mass cytometry

cell identity

autoimmune hemolytic anemia

next generation sequencing

malignant thyroid

killer cell activity

kinase inhibitors tkis

Trends in Immunology

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) have multiple potent functions in cancer and, thus, represent important therapeutic targets. These diverse functions highlight the heterogenous nature of TAMs. Recent single cell omics technologies have significantly advanced our understanding of the molecular diversity of TAMs. However, a unifying nomenclature of TAM diversity and annotation of their molecular signatures is lacking. Here, we review recent major studies of single cell transcriptome, epigenome, metabolome, and spatial omics of cancer with a specific focus on TAMs. We also propose a consensus model of TAM diversity and present avenues for future research.

Macrophage diversity in cancer revisited in the era of single-cell omics