Characterizing distinctions in DARC-related Tumor immune MicroEnvironment (DARC TiME)

10:30 am–11:00 am PDT

Presented By: Melissa Davis, PhD

Davis will present findings emerging from her breast cancer research, where she has identified that an African ancestry allele and the recently discovered tumor expression of a gene named DARC (ACKR1) are linked to the tumor-specific immune/inflammatory response. She has utilized Imaging Mass Cytometry to characterize spatial distinctions among ethnically diverse patient groups.

Exploring the immune tumor microenvironment of hepatocellular carcinoma with Imaging Mass Cytometry

11:00–11:30 am PDT

Presented By: Won Jin Ho, MD

While there has been a remarkable progress in the number of FDA-approved systemic therapy agents for hepatocellular carcinoma, their precise effects on the tumor microenvironment are yet to be elucidated. Using Imaging Mass Cytometry™, we conduct in-depth profiling of the tumor microenvironment of hepatocellular carcinomas that have been neoadjuvantly treated with a combination of cabozantinib and nivolumab at Johns Hopkins. We first segment and cluster the resulting single-cell dataset based on 31 parameters. Then we analyze the cellular and spatial features of the tumor microenvironment to understand the differences between pathologic responders and nonresponders. Our work provides insights on what constitutes an immunologically active immune microenvironment in hepatocellular carcinomas.