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  • Review Article
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Decoding the tumor microenvironment with spatial technologies

Nature Immunology volume 24, pages 1982–1993 (2023)Cite this article

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Abstract

Visualization of the cellular heterogeneity and spatial architecture of the tumor microenvironment (TME) is becoming increasingly important to understand mechanisms of disease progression and therapeutic response. This is particularly relevant in the era of cancer immunotherapy, in which the contexture of immune cell positioning within the tumor landscape has been proven to affect efficacy. Although single-cell technologies have mostly replaced conventional approaches to analyze specific cellular subsets within tumors, those that integrate a spatial dimension are now on the rise. In this Review, we assess the strengths and limitations of emerging spatial technologies with a focus on their applications in tumor immunology, as well as forthcoming opportunities for artificial intelligence (AI) and the value of integrating multiomics datasets to achieve a holistic picture of the TME.

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Fig. 1: Using multiomic technologies to decode tumor immune dynamics.
Fig. 2: Stages and challenges associated with single-cell spatial omics.

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Acknowledgements

We thank M. Sorin for his valuable feedback on this paper. We acknowledge funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR; PJT-162137, L.A.W.; PJT-159742, PJT-178306, D.F.Q.), TRANSCAN-3 (jointly supported by CIHR TRN-184696 and Canadian Cancer Society 707710, D.F.Q.), the Brain Tumor Funders’ Collaborative and Canada Foundation for Innovation. L.A.W. holds a Rosalind and Morris Goodman Chair in Lung Cancer Research, and D.F.Q. holds a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Tumour Microenvironment Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Logan A. Walsh & Daniela F. Quail

  2. Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Logan A. Walsh

  3. Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Daniela F. Quail

  4. Department of Medicine, Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Daniela F. Quail

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  1. Logan A. Walsh
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D.F.Q. and L.A.W. contributed equally to all aspects of the article.

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Nature Immunology thanks Linghua Wang and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work. Primary Handling Editor: N. Bernard, in collaboration with the Nature Immunology team.

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Walsh, L.A., Quail, D.F. Decoding the tumor microenvironment with spatial technologies. Nat Immunol 24, 1982–1993 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-023-01678-9

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