This image displays the tumor microenvironment of human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the most common form of pancreatic cancer and the third most frequent cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. By independently staining different cell types in the tumor microenvironment, we are able separately interrogate the detailed cell types and states to discover distinct multicellular communities and intercellular interactions.

We are elucidating the interactions among cancer cells expressing specific treatment-resistance programs and other cells in the tumor microenvironment that may support cancer cell survival using a technique known as whole-transcriptome digital spatial profiling (DSP). With this approach, we extract high plex messenger RNA and protein expression information at a single-cell level with spatial context.