Abstract A24: Evaluation of the expression of immune functional markers in the tumor microenvironment

Recent clinical successes with immune checkpoint blockades have provided promising immune-based therapeutic approaches for controlling malignancy. While therapeutic antibodies against CTLA-4 and PD-1/PD-L1 have resulted in potent and durable clinical responses in many patients, there still remains an urgent need to develop biomarker based assays to identify patients who may benefit from these approaches while avoiding toxicity and without compromising efficacy. While gene and protein expression of immune cell and checkpoint markers can be obtained through traditional techniques, insight regarding spatial and cell-specific expression within the tumor microenvironment is lacking, particularly in regards to secreted proteins with key immune functions. RNAscope® is an advanced in situ hybridization assay that allows for the visualization of single-cell gene expression, targeting mRNA sequences directly in tissues. The probes designed for this approach permit the detection of secreted markers, including cytokines and chemokines. In our investigation of 60 archived formalin-fixed paraffin embedded non-small cell lung cancer biopsies, expression profiles of immune checkpoint markers and immune functional molecules were evaluated in the tissue environment by RNAscope®. Each of the tumors displayed distinct co-expression patterns of immune checkpoint markers as well as varying levels of cytokines (TGFβ, IFNγ, and TNFα) and chemokines, which were measured in respect to their relative location in the tumor or stromal regions. Additionally, the detection of immune cell markers were used to pinpoint the location of infiltrating lymphocytes. The methods and findings in this study provide a valuable glimpse into the understanding of key immune functional markers in the tumor microenvironment to potentially advance treatment opportunities in this era of immuno-oncology therapies. Citation Format: Jeffrey Kim, Na Li, Mingxiao He, Bingqing Zhang, Nan Su, Xiao-Jun Ma, Emily Park. Evaluation of the expression of immune functional markers in the tumor microenvironment. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy; 2016 Oct 20-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2017;5(3 Suppl):Abstract nr A24.