Spatial Profiling Technologies and Applications for Brain Cancers Publisher Pubmed



Kalitade Croft P¹ ; Sadeghi Rad H² ; Gasper H^{3, 4} ; Obyrne K^{5, 6, 7} ; Lakhani SR^{1, 8} ; Kulasinghe A^{5, 6}
Source: Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics Published:2021

Abstract

Introduction: Malignant primary and secondary brain tumors pose a major health challenge, and the incidence of these tumors is rising. The brain tumor microenvironment (TME) is highly complex and thought to impact treatment resistance and failure. To enable a greater understanding of the milieu of cells in the brain TME, advances in imaging and sequential profiling of proteins/mRNA have given rise to the field of spatial transcriptomics. These technologies provide a greater depth of understanding of the tissue architecture, cellular and spatial profiles, including cellular activation status, which may provide insights into effective therapies for brain cancers. Areas Covered: In this review, we provide an overview of spatial profiling technologies at the forefront in the field and describe the applications for brain cancer. Expert opinion: Brain tumors are often resistant to treatment, and display both an immunosuppressive and heterogeneous tumor microenvironment. Next-generation imaging and multi-omics technologies are providing a tool for intricately characterizing their tissue biology. This information will aid in the design of effective therapies and begin to provide an understanding of therapy resistance. © 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.