Cancer Grand Challenges – TME dynamics
Advances in spatial transcriptomics and proteomics have significantly advanced the characterisation of the cellular composition and heterogeneity of tumour lesions. Despite these advances, major gaps remain in understanding the functional interactions that drive organisation and the formation of microanatomical niches of the tumour microenvironment (TME), how the TME evolves over time and during exposure to therapies, and how specific TME organisation promotes tumour growth or resistance to current therapies.
Standard biopsy and histology approaches provide static snapshots, failing to capture the diverse but spatially restricted and evolving cell populations that may drive therapeutic resistance. Moreover, the TME continuously evolves, responding to tumour cues, cellular interactions, immune pressures, metabolic changes and therapeutic interventions.
This challenge goes beyond mapping the TME and aims to develop new methods to interrogate over time and at a functional level, interactions between the cellular, stromal, and non-cellular components of the TME to understand cancer development, progression and response to therapy.