Centre for Clinical Research, University of Queensland, Herston, Brisbane, Australia.
QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Brisbane, Australia.
Virchows Arch. 2020 Dec;477(6):885-890. doi: 10.1007/s00428-020-02821-9. Epub 2020 May 26.
The disciplines of oncology and pathology are at present experiencing a wave of changes as precision medicine becomes embedded as standard-of-care. Consequently, the need to assess increasing numbers of biomarkers simultaneously has become more urgent and recognising the vast intra-tumoural heterogeneity, including within the microenvironment, requires a complex dimensional understanding of the localisation of the biomarker expression. Digital spatial profiling (DSP; nanoString™) technology spatially resolves and digitally quantifies proteins in a highly multiplexed assay, underpinned by the nCounter® barcoding platform. We present the application of this technology to breast cancer samples. Applying the 'off the shelf' cancer panel and a custom-conjugated E-cadherin antibody, we quantify vast intra-tumoural heterogeneity in immunological and tumour markers, and demonstrate a need for focussed selection of target cell populations. The technology offers enormous potential not only for making research advances but also for improving standard operating procedures in diagnostic applications.
肿瘤学和病理学领域目前正在经历一场变革，因为精准医学已成为标准治疗方法。因此，同时评估越来越多生物标志物的需求变得更加迫切，并且认识到包括微环境在内的肿瘤内异质性，需要对生物标志物表达的定位有一个复杂的维度理解。数字空间分析（DSP；nanoString™）技术通过 nCounter® 条形码平台，以高多重化检测对蛋白质进行空间分辨和数字定量。我们介绍了该技术在乳腺癌样本中的应用。通过应用“即用型”癌症面板和定制缀合的 E-钙黏蛋白抗体，我们对免疫和肿瘤标志物的巨大肿瘤内异质性进行了定量，并证明需要集中选择靶细胞群。该技术不仅为研究进展提供了巨大的潜力，而且为诊断应用中的标准操作程序提供了改进。
