Pancreatic cancer remains a deadly disease due to difficulties hindering its early diagnosis, giving way to metastasis of the tumor and resulting in poor prognosis. While there are many neoplasms of the pancreas, pancreatic invasive ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most common, and treatment options are few, with poor overall survival.

The complexities of the tumor microenvironment (TME) have been implicated in the failure of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy. The tumor microenvironment of PDAC is especially rich with multiple interactions between pancreatic epithelial/cancer cells, stromal cells, immune cells, and the extracellular matrix (ECM). PDACs are characterized by a complex ECM of desmoplastic reaction consisting of an extensive and dense fibrotic stroma that surrounds and infiltrates clusters of malignant epithelial cells, together with the loss of basement membrane integrity and an abnormal vasculature.

In the present study we demonstrate a tissue phenotyping workflow combining three complementary methods that can unravel novel insights in the complex tumor microenvironment. This novel workflow delivers tissue morphology information, spatial phenotyping of immune cell population on whole slides, and high-dimensional imaging in selected regions of interest (ROIs) by combining H&E, multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF), and Imaging Mass Cytometry® (IMC®).

Andrew Quong¹, Nina Lane¹, Derek Quong¹, Gourab Chatterjee², Devan Fleury², Kirsteen H. Maclean², Mael Manesse², Keith A. Wharton Jr², Fabian Schneider³, Dan Winkowski³, James Mansfield³

1. 1. Standard BioTools 2 Tower Place, Suite 2000, South San Francisco, CA 94080
   2. Ultivue, 763D, Concord Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138
   3. Visiopharm. Agern Alle 24, 2970 Hørsholm, Denmark.