Zemin Zhang - Tumor Heterogeneity at the Microenvironment Level and its Implication in Personalized

To unravel the heterogeneity of the tumor microenvironment at the single-cell level, Professor Zhang's team integrated single-cell transcriptome data from various cancer types. They constructed tissue distribution and gene expression profiles of various cell types, including myeloid cells, T cells, NK cells, and others involved in tumor infiltration. Several cell subtypes and states related to tumor development were identified, such as LAMP3+ dendritic cells, SPP1+ macrophages, and tumor-associated NK cells (TaNK), and their interactions were revealed. These findings contributed to the development of potential targets for tumor immunotherapy.
Based on the heterogeneity of the tumor microenvironment among different patients, patients have been further categorized. The Zhang lab found that patients may possess different dominant immune evasion mechanisms. In line with this, the team proposed the possibility of developing personalized tumor treatments by tailoring different strategies based on the composition of a patient's cell types and states.