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Digital Spatial Profiling for Characterization of the Microenvironment in Adult-Type Diffusely Infiltrating Glioma
Published on: September 13, 2022
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Advanced Molecular Characterization Using Digital Spatial Profiling Technology on Immunooncology Targets in
H Barber1, A Tofias1, B Lander1
1Brain Tumour Research Centre, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
Journal of Oncology
|May 17, 2021
Summary
Methylated IDH-wild-type glioblastoma shows increased expression of key immunooncology proteins like CD4, CD8A, and PD-L1 compared to unmethylated tumors. This finding may guide novel immunotherapeutic strategies for glioblastoma.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunology
- Molecular Biology
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive brain tumor with poor prognosis.
- Understanding immunooncology targets is crucial for developing effective immunotherapies.
- MGMT methylation status is a key molecular marker in GBM.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in immunooncology protein expression between methylated and unmethylated IDH-wild-type glioblastoma.
- To evaluate the utility of NanoString GeoMx® Digital Spatial Profiling (DSP) for multiplexed biomarker analysis in GBM.
Main Methods:
- Utilized NanoString GeoMx® DSP technology to analyze 31 immunooncology protein targets.
- Compared protein expression in tissue regions of interest (ROIs) from 5 methylated and 5 unmethylated IDH-wild-type GBM samples.
- Employed an nCounter platform for quantitative comparisons and statistical analysis (FDR <0.1).
Main Results:
- Ten out of 27 immunooncology target proteins showed significantly increased expression in methylated versus unmethylated GBM.
- Specifically, elevated levels of CD4, CD14, CD68, CD8A, B7-H3, PD-L1, CD19, FOXP3, CD44, and STAT3 were observed in methylated tumors.
Conclusions:
- NanoString GeoMx® DSP is a viable method for analyzing multiple immunooncology targets in GBM.
- Methylated IDH-wild-type GBM exhibits a distinct immunooncology protein expression profile.
- Further validation in larger cohorts is needed to confirm these findings and their potential for guiding immunotherapeutic strategies.
