Tumoroscope Technology Uncovers Cancer Clone Behavior
A team of researchers has unveiled Tumoroscope, a computational method that offers unprecedented insight into the spatial evolution of tumors and the intricate behaviors of cancer cell populations, known as clones. Published in Nature Communications, this novel approach marks a step in cancer research, offering a new level of understanding of how cancer evolves within its tissue environment.
Tumors are complex and continuously evolving, with cancer cell clones gaining new mutations as they adapt to their surroundings. Until now, commercially available technologies could not capture these clones’ single nucleotide mutations and gene expression in a spatially resolved way. Tumoroscope addresses this gap, providing researchers with the tools to analyze cancer progression within its three-dimensional tissue context, revealing the dynamic interactions between cancer clones and their environment.
In their study, the research team applied Tumoroscope to prostate and breast cancer tissues, discovering remarkable patterns of mutual exclusivity and co-occurrence among cancer clones. These insights offer a more comprehensive understanding of the organization and interaction of cancer subpopulations within a tumor, shedding light on the complex mechanisms driving cancer progression.
“Tumoroscope opens new avenues of integrated analysis of genomic and transcriptional heterogeneity of tumors. We can now better understand the spatial aspect of tumor evolution and the interaction of cancer clones with their microenvironment”, says Prof. Ewa Szczurek, co-director of the Institute for AI for Health at Helmholtz Munich and last author of the study.
By unlocking this detailed spatial and genetic view, Tumoroscope holds the potential to enhance cancer biology research and pave the way for more targeted, personalized treatments aimed at specific cancer subpopulations within tumors. This innovation represents a crucial advancement in understanding and potentially counteracting cancer’s complex evolutionary processes.
Original publication
Shafighi et al. (2024): Integrative spatial and genomic analysis of tumor heterogeneity with Tumoroscope. Nature Communications. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-53374-3
