When dealing with biomarkers in drug target discovery, profiling the tissue transcriptome in its spatial organization is key to understanding and predicting that tissue’s response to immunotherapy, because the tissue function within the body relies on the precise spatial organization of the cells. This is especially true when dealing with complex and heterogeneous tissues, such as tumors.
With tumors, the relationship between the cells and their environment is what ultimately shapes a patient’s fate. Applying the RNAscopeTM assay allows that evaluation of the presence of transcripts within a spatial context. This technique then ultimately can predict the tumor’s response to immunotherapy.
To further explain the impact of the RNAscope assay, this application note details a case study on a non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) sample to predict its response to immunotherapy. This case study:
- Investigates the presence of the PD-L1 drug target transcript and the Granzyme B (GZMB) biomarker of clinical outcome transcript
- Explains quality control measures taken to validate the hybridization technique
Looks at the heterogenous distribution of transcripts in the NSCLC tissue section & examines the quantification of the PD-L` and GZMB to draw conclusions on the tissue’s reaction