Big Data to get grips on the tumor microenvironment

In 10 seconds? Scientists have been using an amazing technology called single-cell RNA sequencing to try to make sense of the different ways our immune system can interact with tumors.

Why the need for interaction? In our Immunity vs. Cancer series, we have already highlighted the ability of our immune system to fight cancer and the latest immunotherapies in development that have helped save patient lives. But many patients’ cancers fail to respond to these novel therapies and we frequently don’t have any idea why. Naturally, scientists don’t like unanswered questions. So, some researchers have rolled up their sleeves and are using exhaustive computational methods to try to get a more complete picture of what the immune system is doing in tumors and what implications that may have for patient care.