GeoMx™ 
Digital Spatial Profiler

What is Digital Spatial Profiling?

GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiler is a novel platform developed by NanoString. Digital Spatial Profiling is based on the nCounter® barcoding technology that enables spatially resolved, digital characterization of proteins or mRNA in a highly multiplexed (up to 1,000-plex) assay. The assay relies upon antibody or RNA probes coupled to photocleavable oligonucleotide tags. After hybridization of probes to slide-mounted formalin fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue sections, the oligonucleotide tags are released from discrete regions of the tissue via UV exposure. Released tags are quantitated in a standard nCounter assay, and counts are mapped back to tissue location, yielding a spatially-resolved digital profile of analyte abundance.

The DSP Workflow

1. Process: Apply high-plex oligo-labeled antibody cocktail + morphology markers
2. View: Use visible wavelength low-plex imaging to establish tissue "geography." Select regions-of-interest (ROIs) for high-plex profiling
3. Profile: UV-release oligo tags at selected ROIs
4. Plate: Store released tags in microtiter plate, index, and hybridize to barcodes
5. Digitally count up to 1 million data points per ROI
6. Analyze the data with nSolver™Advanced Analysis Software

Publications:

Amaria RN, Reddy SM, Tawbi HA, et al. Neoadjuvant immune checkpoint blockade in high-risk resectable melanoma. Nat Med 2018; 24(11): 1649-54.

Blank CU, Roseman EA, Fanchi LF, et al. Neoadjuvant versus adjuvant ipilimumab plus nivolumab in macroscopic stage III melanoma. Nat Med 2018; 24: 1655-1661.

Jérémie Decalf, Matthew L. Albert, James Ziai, New tools for pathology: a user’s review of a highly multiplexed method for in situ analysis of protein and RNA expression in tissue. J. Pathol 2018; epub.

Poster Presentations:

• Highly multiplexed analysis of immune cell subsets in non-small cell lung cancer: validation of protein and RNA analysis by the NanoString Digital Spatial Profiling (DSP) platform
• Validation of novel high-plex protein spatial profiling quantitation based on NanoString's Digital Spatial Profiling (DSP) technology with quantitative fluorescence (QIF)
• Spatially resolved, multiplexed digital characterization of protein and mRNA distribution and abundance in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue sections based on NanoString’s Digital Spatial Profiling (DSP) technology: applications to immuno-oncology (IO) and tumor heterogeneity
• Spatially resolved, multiplexed digital characterization of protein and mRNA abundance in FFPE tissue sections: application to immuno-oncology

• Spatially resolved, multiplexed digital characterization of protein and RNA expression in FFPE tissue sections

• Spatially resolved, multiplexed digital characterization of protein and RNA distribution and abundance in FFPE tissue sections

• Advanced molecular characterization of severe autoimmune toxicities associated with checkpoint inhibitor therapies

• A new approach for immuno-oncology biomarker discovery: high-plex, spatial protein profiling based on NanoString digital quantification

• Multidimensional spatial characterization of the tumor microenvironment in synchronous melanoma metastases yields insights into mixed responses to therapy

• (Neo-)adjuvant ipilimumab + nivolumab (IPI+NIVO) in palpable stage III melanoma: Updated data from the OpACIN trial and first immunological analyses

• Molecular characterization of immune-related severe adverse events (irSAE)
• Spatially-resolved, high-plex digital profiling enables characterization of complex immune biology of the colorectal cancer tumor microenvironment