Spatial Insights: Navigating Women’s Health with NanoString

Webinar

Join us every Thursday in May to celebrate the milestones the biotechnology community has achieved in supporting Women’s health initiatives. In this new webinar series, we will explore how researchers have used spatial technologies to study the biology of women. We will end the series with a panel of experts to discuss a wide variety of topics all focused on the current state of Women’s Health. Register today so you don’t miss a single presentation.

Wednesday, May 1:
Application of Spatial Transcriptomics to Reveal the Biology of Tertiary Lymphoid Structures in Ovarian Cancer

High grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) has shown poor response to immunotherapies, and retains a 5 year survival of less than 50%. Using spatial biology methods, our group extensively characterized the adaptive immune microenvironment of HGSOC, first through multiplex immunofluorescence, then with spatial transcriptomics. We found various levels of tertiary lymphoid structure presence and maturity across anatomical site, suggesting that these coordinators of antitumor immunity may be targeted to improve prognosis and response. We utilized  spatial technologies to produce prognostic signatures, reveal the importance of TLS for B cell biology, and define stromal populations that impact their presence and maturity. Technically, this work focuses on synergizing multiplex immunofluorescence with spatial transcriptomics. Our work lays a foundation to better understand TLS formation in HGSOC, and provides rational targets to increase their abundance with the goal of improving immunotherapy response.

Speaker

Ian MacFawn, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate, University of Pittsburgh Department of Immunology

Thursday, May 9:
A spatially resolved timeline of the human maternal-fetal interface

Join us for this exciting scientific presentation for Women’s Health Month and learn how Inna Averbukh, PhD and her colleagues used spatial transcriptomics to develop a spatiotemporal map of the maternal-fetal interface. 

In early pregnancy, crucially necessary vascular remodeling is driven by fetal extravillous trophoblasts (EVTs). Exploring the mechanisms underlying EVT coordination with maternal tissue for immune tolerance and artery remodeling, we utilized spatial proteomics and transcriptomics for constructing a detailed, comprehensive atlas of the human maternal-fetal interface. Our data illustrate that gestational age largely influences maternal tolerogenic immune cell occurrence and localization, while artery remodeling is associated with EVT invasion. By leveraging the GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiler (DSP), we have been able to delve into the transcriptome of EVTs along their invasion route, unravelling populations previously not sequenced due to tissue dissociation losses. Our findings allow for an integrated model that emphasizes the importance of spatiotemporal interplay, furthering our understanding of the biology of pregnancy.

Speaker

Inna Averbukh, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, The Israel National Postdoctoral Award Program for Advancing Women in Science, Stanford University

Thursday, May 16:

Spatial transcriptomics reveals the role of immune cells in breast and ovarian cancer at the single cell to tissue microenvironment level

Speakers

Saranya Chumsri, MD
Professor of Oncology Jacoby Center for Breast Health | Mayo Clinic Cancer Center

Valentina Iacobelli, MD, PhD Candidate

Department of Women and Child Health, Division of Gynecologic Oncology Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli – IRCCS, Rome, Italy

Thursday, May 23:

Molecular and phenotypic characterization of mismatch-repair/microsatellite instability-discordant endometrial cancers

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic malignancy and despite therapeutic advancements, mortality rates related to endometrial cancer are rising. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) has categorized endometrial cancers into four molecular classes. Mismatch repair (MMR) deficient endometrial cancer, one of the four molecular subclasses, accounts for 20-40% of all cases. While molecular classification can be used for prognostication and to guide therapy, there is still significant heterogeneity within each subclass. We present an evaluation of cases with heterogeneous MMR expression, using next-generation sequencing, whole transcriptome analysis, and evaluation of MMR expression at sites of disease recurrence and metastasis to characterize these tumors.

Speaker

Courtney J. Riedinger, MD
Gynecologic Oncology Fellow at The Ohio State University, James Comprehensive Cancer Center

Thursday, May 30:
The state of women’s health panel discussion

Moderated by Beth Nye, Vice President Commercial Experience, NanoString

Join us for a lively discussion on the state of women’s health and how research is impacting future care.  We have curated a panel of researchers who specialize in areas such as breast cancer, fetal development and endometrial cancer. The experts will dive into how research is driving the trajectory of progress.  As part of the conversation, we will address racial disparities in health outcomes and representation in research studies. Please register to join this exciting event!

Guests

Kemi Doll, PhD
Associate Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Washington, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

Courtney Riedinger, MD
Gynecologic Oncology Fellow at The Ohio State University, James Comprehensive Cancer Center

Inna Averbukh, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, The Israel National Postdoctoral Award Program for Advancing Women in Science, Stanford University

Tulia Bruno, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Immunology; Member, Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center; Member, Tumor Microenvironment Center, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center; Scientific Director, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Flow Facility

Saranya Chumsri, MD
Professor of Oncology Jacoby Center for Breast Health | Mayo Clinic Cancer Center

Sponsors

Life Science Washington logo
Illumina logo
WInS: Womens' Employee Resource Group