Multiplexed imaging is a highly promising translational approach to profiling tissue to define spatial biomarkers of high prognostic value. These translational workflows require: study-level throughput for statistical power; whole slides for complete spatial context; data quality to support trustworthy quantitation; multi-marker imaging at sub-cellular resolution of cell types and states, and same-section brightfield imaging for pathologist-driven investigation.
The Orion™ platform addresses these requirements by combining high resolution immunofluorescence and brightfield optics with a strategic fluorophore palette. Its one-shot staining and imaging approach provides maximum tissue integrity and rapid turn-around-time to support multi-patient cohort studies.
We will describe the principles of the Orion platform and how it is used for spatial biomarker analysis. We will highlight a recent 40-patient colorectal cancer study that utilized 17-plex quantitation across whole slide images to derive spatial biomarkers of greater ability to separate patient groups, and of significantly improved prognostic value, versus the current standard test.
The analysis pipeline included segmentation of single cells, tissue compartments, and neighborhoods, followed by spatial feature calculation, which were then used to divide the cohort classes for hazard ratio determination. In addition, the utility of same-section H&E data for pathology-driven analysis and digital pathology applications will be discussed.