Immunological tumor heterogeneity and diagnostic profiling for advanced and immune therapies

As I approach my one-year anniversary with Ultivue, I am excited to be part of a vibrant, rapidly growing company committed to transforming anatomic pathology with our next generation staining technology, InSituPlex®.

GEN: If I were to design my own panel for immunofluorescence, what are the main considerations, given everything you’ve suggested during the webinar for validation? Angela: There are several things one needs to think about when you build a new panel for multiplexed immunofluorescence. You need to consider the abundance of the targets to be

The brilliant Stephen Hawking once said that “The universe does not behave according to our pre-conceived ideas. It continues to surprise us.” The same statement is also true for how we think of the dynamic nature of the cancer universe, in particular the complexity of the tumor immune microenvironment (TiME/TMEs)- an ever-evolving rich milieu comprising of non-malignant immune cells, fibroblasts, adipocytes, extracellular matrix components and neuronal cell types.

It’s clearly a very timely discussion with many recent articles reviewing the complexities of the tumor microenvironment and overall tumor heterogeneity that have been implicated in late-stage clinical failures, underscoring an urgent need for tests that accurately predict response to the growing number of available therapies.

Alfred Hitchcock once said, “The more successful the villain, the more successful the picture”, for the immunotherapy picture, that successful villain is M1 macrophages.

Adapted from a line in “Ode to a Mouse” from fellow countryman Robert Burns, the phrase, “the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry”, indicate that no matter how carefully a project is planned, something may still go wrong with it unfortunately speaks to the reality of clinical trials for novel therapeutics, with approximately only 11% of drugs that begin phase I clinical trials eventually being licensed.

It is clear that “zoom fatigue” has set in, and some of the novelty of virtual conferences has worn off in the past year; having said that, they are likely here to stay, even as in-person events return with hybrid events in 2022.

This year, after two long years of convening virtually, it was great to see so many unite in the city of New Orleans for #AACR2022.