Spatial transcriptomics characterization of hepatocellular carcinoma using Molecular Cartography.

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e16110 Background: The microenvironment within hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumors is composed of interacting cancer cells, endothelial cells and other stromal cells, and immune cells. The emerging field of spatial transcriptomics enables the measurement of gene expression in specific regions within a tissue sample. This technique retains the spatial context of intact tissue, can provide deep biological insights into cell-cell interactions, tumor microenvironment, and tumor progression. Methods: Resolve Biosciences’ Molecular Cartography platform was used on serial fresh frozen sections obtained from treatment naïve, HCC samples, and matched non-cancerous control liver tissues. Results: Given the high sensitivity, single-cell resolution, and specificity of the platform, the gene profiles of the hepatic endothelial, mesenchymal and parenchymal cell were studied in-depth to characterize the tumor microenvironment. The data obtained from the analyses revealed several local interactions between cancer cells, endothelial cells, and immune cells. These interactions include both known immune checkpoints and angiogenesis drivers and novel interactions. Conclusions: A deeper in situ understanding of the interacting cellular components of the HCC microenvironment may give insight into the natural history (prognosis) of the disease, predict response to therapies that target the immune system and vasculature, and define novel targets for the next generation of drug development.