Novel microfluidics-based technology for multiparametric single cell analysis of the heterogeneity in the myeloid compartment of particular cancers

We aim to develop a prototype droplet-based microfluidics system for single-cell transcriptomic, epigenetic and phenotypic analysis as well as paired TCR α-β chain sequencing of immune cells.

Breast and gynecologic cancers are among the most common cancers in women in the world. Despite the improved patient survival achieved with the advent of immunotherapies, about 70% of patients don’t respond to treatment or relapse later on. This underscores the need for understanding the evasion/resistance immune mechanisms within the tumor microenvironment that hinder an effective anti-tumor immunity. Myeloid cells exert a potent immunosuppressive activity on T cells, thus promoting tumor progression and immune escape.

This powerful new system will provide unprecedented information on single-cell heterogeneity of tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells and the complexity of their interactions with other cells within the tumor, thereby paving the way for cancer biomarker and therapeutic target discovery.

(video in french)