A BioPharma best practices framework to enable successful morphology guided spatial biology studies using NanoString GeoMx? Digital Spatial Profiler

Abstract The interest and utility of high-plex spatial profiling of RNA and protein biomarkers has increased over the last few years. The implementation of high-plex analyte spatial platforms, such as GeoMx® Digital Spatial Profiler (DSP), is increasing within discovery and development approaches for biomarkers associated with clinical outcome. The surge in spatial platforms parallels the increase of digital pathology in translational and clinical research studies. The integration of these two workflows has the potential to benefit diagnostic and therapeutic development. This study aims to facilitate the implementation of DSP in tissue analysis workflows helping those involved in drug discovery and development efforts to (1) assess platform feasibility for their research, (2) design effective DSP experiments, and (3) enable generation of high-quality, usable spatial data from large cohort studies. The BioPharma GeoMx DSP Consortium has developed consensus-based best practices incorporating the expertise of panel members via virtual meetings. Best practices guidelines for spatial profiling of tissue biopsies in drug discovery and development using GeoMx stands to advance current standard practices in tissue analysis. These best practices recommendations encompass every step of the implementation of DSP in standard tissue analysis workflows, emphasizing the importance of multidisciplinary stakeholder involvement, testing, defining experimental conditions prior to execution of large-scale studies, and considerations in assessing assay performance. This study offers a practical reference for the optimal implementation of GeoMx DSP in exploratory sample analysis for drug discovery and development studies. Citation Format: Leslie Abad, Maxine McClain, Edward Bonnevie, Benjamin Chen, Sarah Church, Gokhan Demirkan, Premi Haynes, Kelly Hunter, Anil Kersarwani, David Krull, Yan Liang, Prithwish Pal, Corinne Ramos, Deniliz Rodriguez, Jessica Runyon, Julien Tessier, Esperanza Anguiano. A BioPharma best practices framework to enable successful morphology guided spatial biology studies using NanoString GeoMx® Digital Spatial Profiler [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 986.