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Updated: May 5, 2026
Visualization, Quantification, and Mapping of Immune Cell Populations in the Tumor Microenvironment
Published on: March 25, 2020
Powerful microscopy technologies decode spatially organized cellular networks that drive response to immunotherapy in
Jonathan H Chen1, Liad Elmelech2, Alexander L Tang3
1Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Chicago, IL, USA; Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Center for Human Immunobiology, Chicago, IL, USA; Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School (HMS), Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pathology, MGH, Boston, MA, USA; Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Insights
Tumor immune cells form complex networks, including tertiary lymphoid structures and chemokine-centered networks. Advanced multiplexed microscopy can map these immune organizations in human tissues for future research.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Oncology
- Microscopy
Background:
- Immune cells in tumors form diverse networks.
- Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) are known immune aggregates.
- Novel chemokine-centered networks (e.g., CXCL9/10/11, CCL19) are newly identified.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the organization of immune cells within tumors.
- To explore the potential of advanced microscopy techniques for studying tumor immunity.
- To establish a foundation for future immunology research using novel imaging methods.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing highly multiplexed microscopy.
- Employing cyclical RNA in situ hybridization.
- Applying antibody-based approaches for protein detection.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated the capability of advanced microscopy to visualize complex immune networks in human tumors.
- Highlighted the potential for detailed spatial analysis of immune cell organization.
- Provided a basis for understanding immune responses in the tumor microenvironment.
Conclusions:
- Highly multiplexed microscopy offers powerful tools for dissecting tumor-immune interactions.
- These techniques can map immune cell organization, aiding in the understanding of anti-tumor immunity.
- This approach serves as a foundation for future advancements in cancer immunology research.
Abstract:
In tumors, immune cells organize into networks of different sizes and composition, including complex tertiary lymphoid structures and recently identified networks centered around the chemokines CXCL9/10/11 and CCL19. New commercially available highly multiplexed microscopy using cyclical RNA in situ hybridization and antibody-based approaches have the potential to establish the organization of the immune response in human tissue and serve as a foundation for future immunology research.
