Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 12, 2025
Flow Cytometric Analysis for Identification of the Innate and Adaptive Immune Cells of Murine Lung
Published on: November 16, 2021
Mass cytometry to characterize the immune lung cancer microenvironment
Ti Badri1, Iñaki Eguren-Santamaria2, Eva Fernandez-Pierola2
1Immunobiology Department, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States.
Insights
High-dimensional single-cell mass cytometry enables detailed analysis of tumor-infiltrating leukocytes in lung cancer. This protocol addresses challenges in analyzing solid tumor tissues for better understanding of the tumor microenvironment.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Oncology
- Biotechnology
Background:
- The human tumor microenvironment is complex, requiring advanced single-cell tools to understand its cellular diversity.
- Flow cytometry has traditionally been used for immune cell analysis, but mass cytometry offers enhanced capabilities.
- Mass cytometry allows simultaneous analysis of over 40 markers without spectral compensation, improving complex cellular system evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the challenges and optimal application of single-cell mass cytometry.
- To dissect tumor-infiltrating leukocytes within surgically resected human lung tumor tissues.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing mass cytometry, a high-dimensional single-cell analysis technique.
- Applying the protocol to analyze leukocytes from solid tumor tissues.
- Focusing on overcoming challenges associated with single-cell analysis of solid tissues.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated the utility of mass cytometry for dissecting tumor-infiltrating leukocytes.
- Provided insights into the cellular complexity of the human tumor microenvironment.
- Addressed and offered solutions for analyzing solid tissues with single-cell technologies.
Conclusions:
- Single-cell mass cytometry is a powerful tool for interrogating the human tumor microenvironment.
- The described protocol enhances the analysis of tumor-infiltrating leukocytes from lung tissues.
- Overcoming tissue-specific challenges is crucial for advancing single-cell analysis in oncology.
Abstract:
The human tumor microenvironment requires use of high-dimensional single-cell tools to uncover its cellular complexity and functional variety. For decades, flow cytometry has been the technology of choice to explore immune cell diversity in different pathological contexts. Recently, a new format for flow cytometry - termed mass cytometry - has been developed. It allows for simultaneous interrogation of more than 40 different molecular markers, without the need for spectral compensation, which significantly augments the ability of cytometry to evaluate complex cellular systems and processes. Currently, different multiparametric single-cell analysis approaches are being widely adopted to interrogate the human tumor microenvironment. However, important challenges must be addressed when solid tissues are analyzed by single-cell technologies. This protocol describes the challenge and better use of single-cell mass cytometry to dissect tumor infiltrating leukocytes from surgically resected tumoral lung tissues.
