Recent Studies Published in Nature Demonstrate the Utility of RareCyte’s Orion Spatial Biology Platform
Recent studies published in Nature journals have showcased the potential of the Orion multiplex imaging platform. RareCyte’s Orion platform is a spatial biology platform for biomarker discovery, translational research, and clinical investigations, offering significant capabilities in advancing understanding of complex diseases, most notably cancer. The Orion platform enables researchers to conduct high-plex, whole slide fluorescence imaging, allowing them to study multiple biomarkers simultaneously. Unlike traditional methods that may take days to process, Orion offers a rapid stain and scan process, significantly reducing the time required for data acquisition. Additionally, with Orion, researchers can achieve subcellular resolution, providing detailed insights into tissue structure and organization. Furthermore, the platform’s compact benchtop design makes it suitable for a range of laboratory settings.
Spatial biology is a field that adds an additional layer to single-cell analysis, considering the spatial context of cells within tissues. It involves studying molecules within a two-dimensional or three-dimensional context, allowing researchers to visualize how molecules are positioned within individual cells and tissues. This approach recognizes that biological systems exist in three-dimensional space and aims to understand which cells are present, where they are located in tissues, how they express biomarkers, and how they interact to influence the tissue environment. True spatial biology studies involve whole-slide imaging at single-cell resolution to quantify biomarker expression and reveal how cells interact and organize within tissues, a concept referred to as spatial phenotyping. This approach provides valuable insights into the biology of tissues and cellular interactions.
In a study published in Nature Cancer, Professor Peter K. Sorger and Dr. Sandro Santagata at Harvard Medical School employed the Orion platform to identify spatial signatures in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. These signatures have proven to be significantly more prognostic than existing clinical laboratory improvement amendments (CLIA) tests. By harnessing Orion’s unique combination of speed and multiplexing capabilities, this study analyzed tumor resections from 74 CRC patients, scrutinizing over 100 million cells. The automated generation and ranking of spatial biomarkers unveiled novel markers with remarkable predictive power for progression-free survival.
Another meaningful study using Orion was led by Dr. Pashtoon Kasi of Weill Cornell Medicine and New York Presbyterian Hospital, featured in Nature’s Oncogene, marked a significant milestone. For the first time, researchers demonstrated the substantial tumor-shrinking effects of neoadjuvant immunotherapy drugs, botensilimab plus balstilimab, in microsatellite stable colorectal cancer (MSS CRC). The high-fidelity, quantitative data acquired across entire tissue sections revealed a notable increase in immune infiltration and tumor regression post-neoadjuvant therapy.