To locate VSMC phenotypes in the plaque and to explore the interplay between VSMC in the fibrous cap (where fibrous repair occurs; summarized in Fig. 6a), as well as to validate the lower TGF-β2 expression in T2D plaques, a deep spatial transcriptomics was performed on a validation cohort of nine human carotid plaques. Here, TGFB2 is linked to type 2 diabetes mellitus.