Wharton Keith A, Wood Douglas, Manesse Mael, Maclean Kirsteen H, Leiss Florian, Zuraw Aleksandra
Ultivue, Inc., Cambridge, MA, United States.
Front Mol Biosci. 2021 Jul 27;8:672531. doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.672531. eCollection 2021.
Multiplex tissue analysis has revolutionized our understanding of the tumor microenvironment (TME) with implications for biomarker development and diagnostic testing. Multiplex labeling is used for specific clinical situations, but there remain barriers to expanded use in anatomic pathology practice. We review immunohistochemistry (IHC) and related assays used to localize molecules in tissues, with reference to United States regulatory and practice landscapes. We review multiplex methods and strategies used in clinical diagnosis and in research, particularly in immuno-oncology. Within the framework of assay design and testing phases, we examine the suitability of multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF) for clinical diagnostic workflows, considering its advantages and challenges to implementation. Multiplex labeling is poised to radically transform pathologic diagnosis because it can answer questions about tissue-level biology and single-cell phenotypes that cannot be addressed with traditional IHC biomarker panels. Widespread implementation will require improved detection chemistry, illustrated by InSituPlex technology (Ultivue, Inc., Cambridge, MA) that allows coregistration of hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and mIF images, greater standardization and interoperability of workflow and data pipelines to facilitate consistent interpretation by pathologists, and integration of multichannel images into digital pathology whole slide imaging (WSI) systems, including interpretation aided by artificial intelligence (AI). Adoption will also be facilitated by evidence that justifies incorporation into clinical practice, an ability to navigate regulatory pathways, and adequate health care budgets and reimbursement. We expand the brightfield WSI system "pixel pathway" concept to multiplex workflows, suggesting that adoption might be accelerated by data standardization centered on cell phenotypes defined by coexpression of multiple molecules. Multiplex labeling has the potential to complement next generation sequencing in cancer diagnosis by allowing pathologists to visualize and understand every cell in a tissue biopsy slide. Until mIF reagents, digital pathology systems including fluorescence scanners, and data pipelines are standardized, we propose that diagnostic labs will play a crucial role in driving adoption of multiplex tissue diagnostics by using retrospective data from tissue collections as a foundation for laboratory-developed test (LDT) implementation and use in prospective trials as companion diagnostics (CDx).
多重组织分析彻底改变了我们对肿瘤微环境(TME)的理解,对生物标志物开发和诊断测试具有重要意义。多重标记用于特定临床情况,但在解剖病理学实践中扩大使用仍存在障碍。我们参考美国监管和实践情况,回顾了用于在组织中定位分子的免疫组织化学(IHC)及相关检测方法。我们回顾了临床诊断和研究中,特别是免疫肿瘤学中使用的多重方法和策略。在检测设计和测试阶段的框架内,我们考虑多重免疫荧光(mIF)在临床诊断工作流程中的适用性,分析其实施的优势和挑战。多重标记有望从根本上改变病理诊断,因为它可以回答传统IHC生物标志物面板无法解决的有关组织水平生物学和单细胞表型的问题。广泛实施需要改进检测化学,以InSituPlex技术(Ultivue公司,马萨诸塞州剑桥)为例,该技术可实现苏木精和伊红(H&E)与mIF图像的配准,还需要工作流程和数据管道有更高的标准化和互操作性,以方便病理学家进行一致的解读,并将多通道图像整合到数字病理学全玻片成像(WSI)系统中,包括借助人工智能(AI)进行解读。有证据证明其可纳入临床实践、具备应对监管途径的能力以及充足的医疗保健预算和报销,也将促进其采用。我们将明场WSI系统的“像素路径”概念扩展到多重工作流程,表明以多种分子共表达定义的细胞表型为中心的数据标准化可能会加速其采用。多重标记有可能通过让病理学家可视化并了解组织活检玻片上的每个细胞,在癌症诊断中补充下一代测序。在mIF试剂、包括荧光扫描仪在内的数字病理学系统和数据管道实现标准化之前,我们建议诊断实验室通过将组织收集的回顾性数据用作实验室开发检测(LDT)实施的基础,并在前瞻性试验中用作伴随诊断(CDx),在推动多重组织诊断的采用方面发挥关键作用。