Microcosmic Divide

by Noor Shakfa and Ferris Nowlan, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute

This image captures a single pancreatic tumour containing two distinct environments side-by-side. Using imaging mass cytometry, we mapped how cancer, immune and supporting cells organize themselves inside the tumour. On the right, tumour cells in light blue are termed “classical” where the tissue around them is orderly and draws immune cells (green) inward to kill tumour cells; patients with this pattern tend to do better and respond to chemo. On the left, “basal” tumour cells in yellow dominate: the tissue is disordered, immune cells are kept out, and outcomes linked to this pattern are worse due to poor chemo response. The result is a microcosmic divide of pancreatic cancer’s extremes, two opposing ecosystems coexisting in one tumour. By mapping these spatial patterns and cell-to-cell interactions, we aim to uncover the biology shaping outcomes to guide better treatments for patients.

Artist statement

Pancreatic cancer appears as one disease, yet under the microscope reveals striking diversity; a split microcosm of order & chaos intertwined, reminding us that within one diagnosis lie many realities

Tools and techniques used

Imaging Mass Cytometry

Credits

Ferris Nowlan, PhD student, Univeristy of Toronto
Sibyl Drissler, PhD student, Univeristy of Toronto
Beth Sunnucks, Lab Manager, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute
Sheng-Ben Liang, Princess Margaret Cancer Biobank, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario
Klaudia Nowak, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, Toronto, ON, Canada
Jennifer Gorman, Scientific Associate, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute
Barbara T. Grünwald, West German Cancer Center, Universitätsklinikum Essen, Essen, Germany
Steven Gallinger, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, ON, Canada
Hartland Jackson, Principal Investigator, Univeristy of Toronto, OICR, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute

InterConnections is supported by Illumina