MENLO PARK, Calif., July 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Specialized cells at the edge of growing skin cancers reduce immune response, Stanford researchers have reported in Cell. The study, available in print today, combined several techniques to analyze and precisely map the tumor microenvironment of squamous cell carcinoma (a common skin cancer) with single-cell level detail.

The team of Stanford researchers, led by Paul Khavari, MD, PhD, professor and chair of dermatology and the Carl J. Herzog Professor in Dermatology in the School of Medicine, combined single-cell resolution Multiplexed Ion Beam Imaging (MIBI™) with spatial transcriptomics and RNA sequencing to analyze a series of human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma  samples, along with matched normal skin. The aim was to understand the spatial context of tumor biology and identify cell types that drive drug resistance.

"We wanted to obtain a high-resolution view of the tumor microenvironment through a multi-pronged approach. Until our study, we had no idea how diverse of a cellular composition was present within this disease," explains Andrew Ji, MD, Clinician, Post Doctoral Fellow at Stanford Medical School and co-lead author. "We leveraged single-cell RNA-sequencing to define the cell types present, but this required dissociating the samples, thereby losing their spatial and biological context. Without this critical piece of the puzzle, we cannot understand how these cells could potentially influence their surrounding neighbors."

IONpath's high definition spatial proteomics platform, MIBI, provides quantitative protein expression on a single cell basis, with spatial content. This provides researchers with the ability to see not only what cells and biomarkers are present, but also where they are located in relation to each other.

"The high-throughput ability to define diverse cell types through single-cell RNA-sequencing has highlighted challenges with traditional imaging and staining methods," says Sizun Jiang, PhD, co-lead author and Post Doctoral Fellow, Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine. "IONpath's next-generation MIBI platform enabled us to obtain a breadth of markers simultaneously and at single-cell resolution to place these diverse cells in their native context and understand what behaviors they may be engaging in. We hope that this leads to not only an improved understanding of tumor biology, but a new framework for profiling and understanding other human diseases."

The researchers are now using this multi-omics approach to investigate cancer types beyond squamous cell carcinomas to provide novel insights and  guide new cancer therapies that activate the immune system and use it in the fight against cancer.

About IONpath, Inc.
IONpath, Inc. is delivering on the promise of spatial proteomics to accelerate medical discovery and improve human health. The company's MIBIscope™ System utilizes Multiplexed Ion Beam Imaging (MIBI™) technology which represents a transformative step in tissue imaging by simultaneously multiplexing up to 40 markers with specificity down to a single cell. Leading research institutes, biotech and pharmaceutical companies are using the MIBIscope in immuno-oncology, immunology and neuroscience research where quantitative multiplexed phenotypic mapping is needed. In addition to the MIBIscope™ System enhanced with MIBItracker™, IONpath empowers the research and development initiatives of academic, biotech and pharmaceutical partners through its comprehensive Research Services division.

Visit www.ionpath.com to learn more.

©2020 IONpath, Inc. All rights reserved. IONpath® is a registered trademark and MIBI™ & MIBIscope™ are trademarks of IONpath INC. For Research Use Only. Not for diagnostic use.

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SOURCE IONpath, Inc.