Masterclass: Spatial Biology – image analysis & practical application

Spatial biology has undergone a significant evolution, transitioning from traditional histopathologic morphology methods to modern multi-omic approaches, largely due to technological advancements. Understanding the entire tissue context, from mapping tissue to elucidating expression profiles within each cell or cellular compartment, serves as a crucial precursor to gaining deeper insights into the pertinent participants of disease progression.

While immuno-oncology has prominently adopted multiplexed spatial biology techniques, other fields such as neuroscience, dermatology, hepatology, animal models and others are also recognizing the potential of spatial biology methodologies.

Given the complexity of data these methodologies produce, there's a critical need for specialized tools. Visiopharm's Phenoplex platform offers a complete multiplex image analysis workflow that saves you time and instils confidence in the accuracy of your results.

Join this masterclass series led by experts who will address all facets of spatial biology. Participants will gain insights into cutting-edge methodologies, techniques, and tools essential for navigating the intricate spatial biology landscape effectively.

Abstract

Spatial biology is revolutionizing molecular biology by enabling the examination of cells within their tissue microenvironment. It empowers scientists to reconstruct tissue structures and compartments and investigate intricate cell-to-cell interactions and dependencies. This level of detail is unparalleled by any other available method. The resulting multiplexed images require easy-to-use image analysis tools that are tailored specifically for biologists and pathologists. In this masterclass, we illuminate the significance of spatial biology in modern research, unveiling its potential to revolutionize our understanding of biological processes and disease states.

We will discuss its capacity to unveil hidden biological nuances and disease mechanisms within tissue landscapes. Emphasizing the practical needs of biologists and pathologists, we will delve into:

Image visualization and quality control.
Tissue segmentation strategies to delineate anatomical regions and tissue compartments accurately.
Cell segmentation, both turn-key and enhanced.
Phenotyping for characterizing cellular populations and discerning pathological features.
Spatial neighborhood analysis tools, illuminating the spatial relationships vital for understanding microenvironmental influences.
The demand for interactive data interrogation platforms, facilitating intuitive exploration of results and hypothesis generation.

Join us as we navigate the complexities of spatial biology and multiplex image analysis, empowering biologists, and pathologists to decode the mysteries concealed within biological landscapes. By bridging the gap between images and insights, Phenoplex equips researchers with the tools to navigate and understand the complexities of biological systems with precision and clarity.

Biography

Dr Fabian Schneider is part of Visiopharm’s R&D and Product Management team, responsible for phenotyping products as well as service projects for custom APP development. Fabian has over 10 years of international experience in cancer biology and immuno-oncology, working in academic research labs, clinical research teams and computational pathology groups in both academia and biopharma.

Fabian received his Dr phil. nat. in Cell Biology in 2011 from the Johan Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany.

Abstract coming soon

Coming soon

Biography

Karen McClymont
With a PhD in Biochemistry and her active involvement and support in the analysis of some of OracleBio’s most complex studies, Karen plays a key role leading OracleBio’s image analysis projects and overseeing the team’s continued development.

Gabriel Reines March
With a PhD in Biomedical Image Processing and a background in Electrical Engineering, Gabriel is the OracleBio R&D team lead. He oversees and manages the group’s project pipeline and ensures that the company stays at the bleeding edge of the industry.

Gabriel also manages OracleBio’s involvement in the INCISE project – a collaborative effort between industry, academia and the UK’s National Health Service.

Abstract coming soon

Coming soon

Biography

Jared started his carrier at Texas A&M University learning about patterns in genes and proteins, allowing and facilitating subcellular protein trafficking. As he has progressed to MD Anderson Cancer Center, he has scaled to cellular trafficking attempting to understand the spatial distribution of cells in organ systems during disease. As in many parts of life, form equals functions. How our cells organize speaks to how they function and respond to their local environment. Bringing together multi-omics approaches allows for greater clarity in these imaging snapshots that are collected.

Location: Neurobiology Imaging Facility at Harvard Medical School (Boston, MA). It is also possible to join this event online.

Speakers include:

Sammy Ferri-Borgogno, Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine MD Anderson
Michelle Ocaña, Managing Director, Neurobiology Imaging Facility
Katherine Schafer-Hales, President, Society of Biomolecular Imaging and Informatics
Namrata Singh, Molecular Pathology Core Laboratory (MPCL) Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Alina Ainbinder, Takeda Pharmaceuticals
And many others... .

Clive Taylor

Emeritus Professor at Keck School of Medicine, USA

Dr Clive Taylor is a Professor of Pathology at the Keck School of Medicine, University of California. He is a pioneer in immunohistochemical (IHC) techniques for diagnosing surgical pathology, originally adapting these methods in Oxford, England, in 1972. He established a laboratory at the University of Southern California focused on lymphoma research and diagnosis. Dr Taylor has also served as a Trustee and President of the Biological Stain Commission (BSC), collaborating with the FDA to develop guidelines for IHC reagents and enhancing reproducibility.

Dr Rasmus Røge, MD, PhD

Hematopathologist and Clinical Associate Professor, Aalborg University

Dr Rasmus Røge is a pathologist and Clinical Associate Professor affiliated with Aalborg University. His daily work focuses on hematopathology, specializing in the study and diagnosis of blood-related disorders. Dr Røge has been actively involved in the Nordic Immunohistochemical Quality Control (NordiQC) since 2012, an international external quality assessment scheme that serves diagnostic pathology laboratories worldwide. With more than 30 publications, his research primarily centers around quality assessment, methodology in Immunohistochemistry and introduction, validation and optimization of new biomarkers in pathology.

Prof Ralf Huss

BioM Biotech Cluster Development GmbH & University Hospital Augsburg, Germany

Ralf Huss is a Professor of Pathology and currently the Managing Director and CEO of the Biotechnology Development Agency in Munich, Germany. Prior to this role, he was the founding director of the Institute for Digital Medicine at the University Hospital Augsburg, Germany. Dr. Huss is board-certified in anatomical, experimental, and molecular pathology, with over 30 years of experience in international academic institutions and the pharmaceutical industry with a focus on histopathology, immunology, cancer research, and digital medicine.

Omar Baba

MD, Clinical Pathologist, Henry Ford Hospital, USA

Omar Z. Baba, M.D. is a Pathology Informatics Fellow at Henry Ford Health, Detroit, mentored by Dr J Mark Tuthill. A Clinical Pathologist trained at the American University of Beirut Medical Center in Lebanon, he has been at the forefront of pathology informatics, deeply engaged in multiple informatics operations at the department of Pathology and Lab medicine at HFH and notably leading a validation initiated on an AI-driven image analysis tool, which he presented at the 2023 PI Summit in Pittsburgh.

Nils 't Hart

Pathologist, Isala Hospital, The Netherlands

Nils ‘t Hart is a thoracic pathologist with a position at Isala since 2009. Isala is a top clinical hospital in the center of The Netherlands. Since Nils finished his residency at UMCG, he is focusing on diagnostics in thoracic pathology, molecular diagnostics and predictive immunohistochemistry. He is interested in new developments in oncology, how to implement predictive markers in daily practice using AI and eager to do pathology research. Last but not least, he is always looking for new innovative methods to teach about his passion.

Paul J van Diest

Professor, UMC Utrecht, The Netherlands

Paul J van Diest studied Medicine and did his PhD and pathology residency at VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam. After obtaining his Board certification (1996) he became Consultant Pathologist, Associate Professor (1999) and full Professor (2001). Since 2003 he is Head of the Department of Pathology at University Medical Center Utrecht. This department has gone fully digital and at the moment is involved in AI-research and implementation. He is Adjunct Professor of Oncology at the Sidney Kimmel Oncology Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, USA, serves on the editorial board of international journals, and has been active in several international societies.

Colin Tristram

CEO, Histocyte, UK

Colin has spent the last twenty years developing, marketing, and commercializing a range of products for the IVD market, specifically tissue diagnostics. Colin is the founder and current CEO of HistoCyte laboratories. He studied Medical Microbiology at Newcastle University, specializing in immunology. His MSc focused on HER2 in breast cancer, involving the development of procedures for IHC controls. With this knowledge he and his colleagues started HistoCyte and developed a range of high-quality, reproducible, and cost-effective analyte control material for same-slide use in histopathology. HistoCyte was acquired by Atlas Antibodies in 2021.

Steve Bogen

CEO, Boston Cell Standards, USA

Dr Bogen is a Board-Certified Clinical Pathologist, having graduated from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine (M.D.) and the Weizman Institute of Science (Ph.D.), with a post-graduate residency and research fellowship at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He is Adjunct Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine and served as Medical Director, Clinical Chemistry Laboratory at Tufts Medical Center until 2021. He is also an NCI-funded investigator whose research has focused principally on developing better diagnostic tools. Dr. Bogen was previously the founder of CytoLogix Corporation. He now serves as CEO of Boston Cell Standards.

Regan Fulton

CEO, Array Science, USA

Dr Fulton received his MD and PhD from the University of Minnesota and completed his residency in Anatomic Pathology at Stanford University. Following residency, he completed fellowships in Surgical Pathology and Immunodiagnosis at Stanford University and is board-certified in Anatomic Pathology. He is the founder and CEO of Array Science, LLC, a manufacturer of control and proficiency-testing material. He holds multiple patents for making tissue and cell culture microarrays. He now works full-time at Array Science, while providing pathology support in the development of diagnostics, as well as various phases of clinical trials. Dr Fulton has served as a consultant and paid speaker for several pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Michael Grunkin

CEO, Visiopharm, Denmark

Dr Michael Grunkin is founder and CEO of Visiopharm. He received his Ph.D in image analysis from the Technical University of Denmark in 1993. His post-doctoral work was carried out on Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Medical School, where he combined a strong theoretical and practical background in image analysis with applications from the life-sciences.

Dirk Vossen

CDO, Visiopharm, the Netherlands

Dirk Vossen leads a cross-functional team to develop diagnostic and clinical applications of digital pathology. His track record of creating value through innovation in digital and computational pathology spans the entire range of development, from ideation through validation and certification of medical devices, as well as commercialization strategies.

Title: TP53 gain-of-function mutation modulates the immunosuppressive microenvironment in non-HPV associated oral squamous cell carcinoma

Session Date and Time: Sunday Apr 16, 2023 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Published Abstract Number: 619

Poster Board Number: 20

Poster Section: 21

Authors: Y. Shi et al. from Xi'an Jiaotong University, China,; with MD Anderson Cancer Center

Title: Multiplex immunofluorescence and image analysis to investigate the role of the immune contexture and fibroblast activation for tumor cell budding in colorectal cancer

Session Date and Time: Sunday Apr 16, 2023 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Published Abstract Number: 1018

Poster Board Number: 28

Poster Section: 41

Authors: D. Zielinski et al. from Discovery Life Sciences

Title: Precision immuno-oncology (IO) ISH/IF multiplex panel: Spatial detection of cytokines and IO biomarkers

Session Date and Time: Monday Apr 17, 2023 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Published Abstract Number: 2322

Poster Board Number: 3

Poster Section: 45

Authors: B. Dennison et al. from Lanterne Dx

Title: Multiplex proteomics profiling with the imaging mass cytometry (IMC) identifies immune cell phenotypes associated with high NOS2/COX2 expression in ER- negative and TNBC patients

Session Date and Time: Tuesday Apr 18, 2023 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Published Abstract Number: 3588

Poster Board Number: 13

Poster Section: 3

Authors: M. Pore et al. from NCI Frederick, MD

Title: A comprehensive guided workflow for highplex imaging, tissue segmentation, and multiplex cellular phenotyping for tumor microenvironment analysis

Session Date and Time: Tuesday Apr 18, 2023 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Published Abstract Number: 4625

Poster Board Number: 15

Poster Section: 4

Authors: B. O’Neill et al. from Visiopharm; with Standard Bio Tools

Masterclass Series

Spatial Biology – image analysis and practical application

Topics to be covered in the series

Register your interest now

Virtual masterclass schedule

17 April, Wednesday, 4pm CET/10am EST

Mapping the biological landscape: Turning multiplex images into knowledge

15 May, Wednesday, 4pm CET/10am EST

Using Visiopharm to support image analysis workflow QC and trust in data

19 June, Wednesday, 4pm CET/10am EST

Completing the Spatial Biological Landscape Using Multi-Modal Multi-omics Approaches

17 July, Wednesday, 4pm CET/10am EST

HOST-Factor: Unveiling pancreatic cancer microenvironment neighborhoods through highplex imaging and spatial profiling

21 August, Wednesday, 4pm CET/10am EST

Introducing the Hyperion™ XTi imaging system

Live masterclass schedule

2 May, Thursday, 10am - 4pm EST

AI-driven image analysis for digital pathology and multiplex spatial biology applications

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Meet your speakers

Posters being presented at AACR