In a recent study published in Med, researchers examine host responses to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) within the placenta using transcriptomics. Study: SARS-CoV-2 niches in human placenta revealed by spatial transcriptomics. Image Credit: SciePro / Shutterstock.com Background Previous studies have provided limited insights into SARS-CoV-2 replication during pregnancy, despite using placenta single-cell transcriptomes.