Spatial profiling technologies illuminate the tumor microenvironment

Ofer Elhanani; Raz Ben-Uri; Leeat Keren

doi:10.1016/j.ccell.2023.01.010

Spatial profiling technologies illuminate the tumor microenvironment

Cancer Cell. 2023 Mar 13;41(3):404-420. doi: 10.1016/j.ccell.2023.01.010. Epub 2023 Feb 16.

Authors

Ofer Elhanani¹, Raz Ben-Uri¹, Leeat Keren²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
² Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel. Electronic address: leeat.keren@weizmann.ac.il.

PMID: 36800999
DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2023.01.010

Abstract

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is composed of many different cellular and acellular components that together drive tumor growth, invasion, metastasis, and response to therapies. Increasing realization of the significance of the TME in cancer biology has shifted cancer research from a cancer-centric model to one that considers the TME as a whole. Recent technological advancements in spatial profiling methodologies provide a systematic view and illuminate the physical localization of the components of the TME. In this review, we provide an overview of major spatial profiling technologies. We present the types of information that can be extracted from these data and describe their applications, findings and challenges in cancer research. Finally, we provide a future perspective of how spatial profiling could be integrated into cancer research to improve patient diagnosis, prognosis, stratification to treatment and development of novel therapeutics.

Keywords: multiplexed imaging; spatial profiling; spatial transcriptomics; tumor microenvironment.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Humans
Immunotherapy / methods
Neoplasms* / therapy
Prognosis
Tumor Microenvironment* / physiology