Przemek Fleszar, an Advanced Workflow Specialist at Leica Microsystems, discussed the various spatial biology techniques developed at Leica. In cancer research and immunology, depending on the kinds of questions scientists are aiming to answer, they will work with various different sample types, including 2D and 3D samples. Fleszar mentioned that a scanning confocal like the Stellaris Spectra Plex is an imaging tool the is capable of imaging 15 biomarkers at once while maintaining the ability to look deep into the sample.
The cell DIVE system is a hyperplexing instrument that enables researchers to sequentially capture data on 60 unique biomarkers. Scientists can follow up these experiments with laser microdissections, which let them isolate specific targets for downstream analysis. Overall, this workflow supports comprehensive characterization of tissue samples and tumour microenvironments.
To demonstrate this workflow, Fleszar presented an image of a carcinoma sample containing both regular tissue and tumour tissue. Within the cancerous regions and regular tissue, overlapping cell types such as immune cells provide crucial spatial information. This information is essential for qualifying patients for immunotherapy. Even with relatively small images, researchers should be able to observe single cells and resolve them at a subcellular level to draw meaningful conclusions.
Fleszar encouraged the integration of robotics to automate staining, inactivation, and washing steps. At Leica, Fleszar and his team use the Assembly Bot from Advanced Solutions to increase throughput and enable parallel processing of multiple slides with minimal human intervention.
The Aivia software provides AI-driven segmentation and classification, supporting user-trained models for flexible and detailed analysis of multiplexed images. Continuing on the theme of standout technology used at Leica, Fleszar covered laser microdissection and downstream analysis. The system supports precise isolation of individual cells or regions for downstream molecular analysis, such as mass spectrometry. It also forms a core element of the deep visual proteomics workflow, which is recognised as a significant advancement in the field.
In summary, advances in spatial biology and imaging technologies are giving scientists unprecedented insights into cellular complexity and tissue architecture. The combination of multiplexing, automated workflows, and precise microdissection can help achieve comprehensive single-cell analysis.
