image: Seeing inside tumours at the molecular level. This image shows pancreatic cancer tissue samples analysed using mass spectrometry imaging, the type of technology that will be at the heart of the new ACRF MATRIX Centre. The heat maps (yellow = high abundance, blue = low abundance) reveal how specific proteins are distributed throughout tumours. The new Centre will provide 100-fold greater sensitivity than this earlier technology, giving researchers unprecedented detail of the cancer microenvironment.
Credit: Garvan Institute
Australian researchers will soon have an unprecedented ability to see how cancer cells interact with their microenvironment, thanks to a new imaging centre being established at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research. The ACRF MATRIX Centre – short for Mass spectrometry Analysis of Tumour Response In compleX microenvironments – will help scientists understand why some cancers resist treatment and spread through the body, with the overall aim of developing therapies which target both the cancer cells and the microenvironment around them.
The ACRF MATRIX Centre will be Australia’s first centre dedicated to ultra-high-resolution spatial proteomics in cancer. This cutting-edge technique provides an extremely detailed view of where proteins are located in cells and how they interact with each other within the body’s tissues and organs. It allows researchers to better understand the organisation and behaviour of complex tissues, and how this may be altered in diseases like cancer. The initial focus of the ACRF MATRIX Centre will be on pancreatic, lung, breast and prostate cancers.
“Cancer cells don't exist in isolation – they build a protective neighbourhood that helps them survive our treatments and spread through the body. The ACRF MATRIX Centre will give us an unprecedented molecular-resolution view of this tumour microenvironment, revealing exactly how it evolves during therapy. These insights will help drive the next generation of smarter combination treatments that target both the cancer cells and their supporting structures simultaneously,” says Professor Thomas Cox, who will lead the Centre.
The establishment of the centre is being made possible with the generous support of the Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF), as well as support from Cancer Institute NSW and Amgen.
Moving beyond cancer cells
While the focus of cancer research was once limited to studying cancer cells in isolation, the last decade of research has uncovered the important role that the tissue environment in and around tumours plays in driving treatment resistance and metastatic spread. Targeting the tumour microenvironment is now a focus for several of Garvan’s research teams.
Unprecedented detail in visualising the cancer microenvironment
Visualising the tumour microenvironment requires specialised equipment. The ACRF MATRIX Centre will house advanced spatial proteomics technology, based on a technique called mass spectrometry, which uses lasers shot at tissue samples to map where proteins are located and how abundant they are.
The technology will allow researchers to study the proteins, lipids and metabolites found in the cancer microenvironment at 100-fold greater sensitivity than traditional approaches, giving precise insights into how tumours:
- respond to or resist therapy
- metastasise or spread around the body
- are shielded from immune system attack
Together, these insights will allow research teams to develop and test combination therapies that target both cancer cells and their surrounding environment, to improve health outcomes.
National resource accelerating cancer discoveries
The ACRF MATRIX Centre will not only accelerate cancer discoveries nationally but also upskill Australia’s early- and mid-career cancer researchers in the new field of spatial proteomics.
“The tumour microenvironment is the next frontier in understanding how tumours form and evolve. By training Australia’s brightest early- and mid-career cancer researchers in the use of this cutting-edge technology, this funding will equip Australian researchers with the expertise and insight that could lead to breakthrough treatments for decades to come. This will not only ensure Australia’s cancer research remains competitive with international efforts but also enable Australian patients to benefit from advances in microenvironment-targeted cancer treatments in the future,” says Dr Amelia Parker, part of the ACRF MATRIX leadership team.
The Centre is set to be fully functional by the middle of 2026.
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Subject of Research
Human tissue samples