Researchers have made advancements in understanding the composition of atherosclerotic carotid arteries using single cell spatial transcriptomics integration. This approach has helped decipher the morphological heterogeneity of these arteries, shedding light on the arrangement of cells in deposits. The integration of single-cell and spatial data has led to the creation of atlases that provide insight into the immune heterogeneity and cellular states in human atherosclerosis.