Spatial mapping of tumor, immune and stromal cells: spatial transcriptomic

Different cell types in breast tumors interact and 'communicate' to build local ecosystem in which cancer cells grow. We need to determine how the different cell types organize and interact spatially. We use different strategies from multiplexed immunohistochemistry to spatial transcriptomics methods.

• In collaboration with Dr. Alexandre Corthay’s lab, we use multiplexed immunostaining techniques to study in normal breast / tumor pairs, the location and infiltration of different immune cell types (see below an example of such immunostaining).
• To uncover the cellular heterogeneity in histological sections, we localize mRNA molecules directly on a tissue slide which allows us to understand tissue heterotypic interactions and tissue cellular ecosystems, for this, we use spatial transcriptomics (Visium method from 10X genomics).
• We also plan to use the Nanostring GeoMx method which will be available at Oslo University Hospital in fall 2021 to study in detail the immune and stromal tumor microenvironment of different breast cancer subtypes.