November 4, 18:00 CEST | Online
Join us for Oncology October – a series of weekly webinars focusing on the integration of nCounter and DSP approaches to oncology research. Learn how the field is advancing with the insights gained by bulk analysis combined with spatial resolution.
A multi-omic approach to examine the impact of breast cancer heterogeneity
Integrated “omic”s has proven invaluable in developing a comprehensive approach to our understanding of cancer drivers. Novel approaches, integrating multiple “omics” data strands have shown significant potential in the early diagnosis and management of cancer and some of the key advances. Pathologists have long recognized that the interaction between immune and tumour cells is critical in the development and progression of breast cancer. This heterogeneity explains, in part, why the majority of current therapeutic approaches for cancer work best when multiple agents are combined. Here we present genomic, transcriptomic and in situ proteomic profiling of a cohort of breast cancer (BCa) lumpectomies with associated imaging data to reveal the extent of heterogeneity in pathologically defined unifocal and multifocal cancers. In this study, lumpectomies were processed as whole mounts with serial blocks reviewed. Tissue cores were taken from at least three different regions through the lumpectomy for nucleic acid extraction and tissue microarray (TMA) construction, focusing on morphologic/histological differences in addition to the spatial orientation of the sampled region within the lumpectomy. Targeted sequencing using the Oncomine Comprehensive Assay v3 (OCAv3); transcriptional profiling using the NanoString Breast Cancer 360 Panel and in situ profiling by GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiling (DSP) were performed. From this cohort of 60 patients, we present a subset of patients demonstrating integration of the molecular profiling between the multiple samplings and the impact on clinical decision making in BCa. In situ transcriptomics identified differences in cell types within the same patient. We have demonstrated that transcriptomics or genomics alone is insufficient for a rational stratification of patients to currently available targeted therapies; therefore supporting the need for an integrative approach.
For Research Use Only. Not for Use in Diagnostic Procedures.
Speaker:
Dr. Melanie Spears
Principal Research Scientist
Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Canada
