Scientists tap in to listen to the conversation between tumors
Scientists have devised a novel technique to identify how millions of individual cells communicate with each other in miniature lab-grown tumors, called organoids. The research has been published in the journal Nature Methods. This study marks the first time that scientists have successfully analyzed many different signaling molecules simultaneously in individual cells within replicas of patients’ tumors. Deciphering how cells communicate could explain how tumors are able to dodge the immune system and grow resistant against treatments. This could enable scientists to newer drugs that are more effective by examining the way tumors respond to treatments. It could also help medical professionals select the best course of treatment for every patient by testing a treatment method on a custom replica of a patient’s tumor before prescribing it.
The technique performs rapid analyses of each cell in an organoid, to find specific signaling molecules, which signify the messages transferred between neighboring cells, instructing them on how to act. Lead researcher Dr. Chris Tape, University College London, says that organoids are already revolutionizing cancer research by allowing them to test if the experimental new drugs are effective on lifelike models of tumors. The new technique also allows scientists to discover why a treatment works or does not, by focusing on how cells ‘talk’ to each other. To listen in on the cancer cells’ conversation, the team grew organoids in the lab, which are self-organizing 3D structures built of cancer cells, along with other types of cells, including connective tissue and immune cells. These organoids mirror the behavior of cancer in humans with higher accuracy compared to the cells that are grown in a dish.
The team then altered a complicated technique known as ‘mass cytometry,’ which is used to identify and analyze protein molecules. The organoids were segregated into individual cells, and then antibodies mixed with heavy metal atoms were introduced. The scientists tested the technique in bowel cancer cells and were able to simultaneously pick up on 28 key signaling molecules in 6 different cell types, in more than a million cells. The team further plans to use this technique to find ways to block the communications between cells, which allows them to become resistant to treatment.
