Explore Our Cutting-Edge Projects

We are applying STPT and imaging mass cytometry to a model of breast cancer metastasis to the lungs. Using 3D imaging we identified a large number of early metastatic lesions, and profiled their local environment during progression and after exposure to different therapies. We identified a high degree of heterogeneity in metastasis seeded from the same primary tumour, as well as micro-environmental factors modulating therapy response

Internal project

It is becoming increasingly known that human tissues are riddled with cells bearing tumourigenic mutations, which are however not giving rise to tumours unless exposed to a secondary “promoter” event. The Balmain lab, co-leading the PROMINENT cancer grand challenge, is at the forefront of this field. In this collaboration we are studying a model of tumour promotion in skin papillomas. We use STPT to identify mutant cell clones and their progeny, and spatial molecular profiling (IMC and others) to dissect the events mediating the promoting effect and giving rise to cancer

Prof. Allan Balmain 

IDH-mutant glioma is a deadly brain tumour which presents initially as a low-grade slowly progressing disease, before transitioning to high-grade and becoming highly aggressive. This is heavily linked to epigenetic transitions and metabolic altererations. We are studying the molecular mechanisms of the high-grade transition in human and mouse models, using a combination of STPT to identify early, sub-clinical foci of transformation, mass spectrometry to identify changes in the metabolic and protein modification lanscape, and spatial transcriptomics and proteimics to map them at high resolution

Mr. Richard Mair

Neuroblastoma is the most frequent non-cranial tumour in children, and presents a very high degree of heterogeneity which hinders successful therapy. Therapy resistance is unfortunately very abundant. We are collaborting with the Stratified Medicine Paediatrics (SMPAEDS) initiative, with the PATTERN study, and with the PROTECT Cancer Grand Challenge to study the impact of heterogeneity on disease progression and resistance

Prof. Louis Chesler, Dr. Sally George, Prof. John Anderson, Dr. Stefano Giuliani, Dr. Isidro Cortes-Ciriano

High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer is the most frequent gynaecological cancer, and presents with an extreme degree of clonal heterogeneity and chromosomal instability. Previous work from our collaborators showed that the mutational origin of a tumour has a direct impact on the type of micro-environment formed around tumour cells. This, in turns, influences how the disease evades the immune system, resists to therapy, and metastasize. We optimized a tri-omic protocol integrating spatial copy number profiling, proteomics, and transcriptomics, to identify how the tumour micro-environment and its interactions with tumour cells from different subclones shape tumour progression

Dr. Sohrab Shah, Dr. Wesley Tansey

One of the hardest challenges in breast cancer is predicting which patients will respond to therapy and which will relapse. In the SYNERGIA project, we are using a combination of parameters (imaging, spatial proteomics, transcriptomics, and others) to develop models capable of predicting therapy response for multiple cancer sub-types

Dr. Jean Abraham 

Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Gliomas is a paediatric brain tumour with a dismal diagnosis and no curative options. We are assisting the Children Cancer Therapy Development Institute in validating targets for a novel antibody-drug conjugate therapy, opening new treatment options

Dr. Charles Keller

Neuroendocrine tumours are a highly heterogeneous disease type which incidence is rapidly rising. In this pilot study we validated that 3D imaging (STPT) and spatial proteomics methods can be used effectively to profile the micro-environment of different tumour sites, opening the way for a much more precise mechanistic investigation of the biology of this disease, with a particular focus on the interaction of tumour cells and infiltrating bacterial species (microbiome), especially for enteric tumours.

Prof. Andrew Smith, Dr. Krista Rombouts