Imaging Technologies Revolutionise our Understanding of Brain Tumour Microenvironment « Charlie Teo Foundation
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Imaging Technologies Revolutionise our Understanding of Brain Tumour Microenvironment

12 December 2024

Prof Johanna Joyce was awarded a AUD$200,000 Research Rebel grant in 2021 from the Charlie Teo Foundation which supported her courageous and creative brain cancer research laboratory. Over the past two years, the Joyce Lab has made significant strides in advancing the brain cancer field and their work has led to the publication of six high-impact papers, unveiling groundbreaking findings that offer meaningful hope for patients.

Prof Joyce’s research has focused on the tumour microenvironment (TME), which can be imagined as the “neighbourhood” where cancer cells live. Her lab is a world expert in developing and leveraging high resolution microscopy techniques to literally ‘look inside’ the brain of living animals over time to understand how brain tumours develop and the role that the TME plays in cancer growth. In the context of brain cancer, the TME has a significant impact on the behaviour and spread of cancer cells, much like how the dynamics of a neighbourhood can influence the behaviour of its residents. By understanding this neighbourhood better, scientists can find new ways to disrupt the activities of cancer cells and prevent them from spreading.

One of the standout discoveries includes a non-invasive technique using Fluorine-19 MRI to monitor tumour-associated macrophages, which are like the “watchdogs” of the tumour neighbourhood as they can surveil and influence tumour progression. Monitoring these watchdogs have been traditionally achieved through invasive biopsies. This new technique allows doctors to keep an eye on these watchdogs without needing invasive biopsies, making it easier to track how brain tumours are behaving and responding to treatment. These findings were published in the prestigious journal Scientific Translational Medicine

Another major advancement is the creation of a multimodal imaging strategy that combines MRI and two-photon microscopy. Think of this as using both a telescope and a microscope to study the same area. This approach has revealed how these watchdogs move and interact with the tumour over time, helping scientists understand how different treatments affect the tumour environment, and ultimately how this affects the invasiveness of brain tumours. These findings were published in the prestigious journal iScience

 

Prof Joyce’s team also introduced a novel imaging platform that enables researchers to perform detailed investigations of brain cancer progression over time, which was not possible before. This protocol was published in STAR protocols

Additionally, the Joyce Lab identified specific types of immune cells called macrophages in the tumour environment that play an important role in brain metastases. This is akin to discovering which specific neighbours in the TME are aiding the metastases of cancer cells, allowing researchers to devise strategies to target them directly with new treatments. These key findings were published in iScience

Additionally, their work on a new technique called Hyperplexed Immunofluorescence Imaging (HIFI) has enhanced the understanding of how tumours respond to radiation therapy. The advancement of this technique is analogous to upgrading from a black-and-white map to a detailed, colourful one. HIFI allows scientists to see over 45 different features in delicate tissue samples at high magnification, all at once. This technique, combined with advanced machine learning and network analysis, helps researchers understand how different parts of the tumour city respond to radiation therapy and provides insight into how we can tailor therapies more effectively. These key findings were published in Nature Communications

Finally, the Joyce Lab has uncovered a new role of fibrotic scars in promoting brain tumour survival and recurrence. These scars act like “safe houses” for glioma cancer cells, providing them shelter and helping them survive treatments. By targeting these safe houses, new treatment strategies could prevent the cancer from coming back. These findings have been published in Cancer Cell

These collective advancements not only deepen our understanding of brain cancer progression but also pave the way for more effective, personalised treatments. The innovative diagnostic tools and targeted therapies emerging from Prof Joyce’s research laboratory hold great promise for enhancing patient survival rates and quality of life. We commend Prof Joyce for such an outstanding research program and are thrilled to have supported her truly game-changing research.

“We published a total of six papers from this research program, supported in part thanks to the generosity of the Charlie Teo Foundation. I would like to take this opportunity to again thank you all at the foundation, with the shared mission of advancing knowledge to help the treatment of brain cancers."

Prof. Johanna Joyce, University of Lausanne, Switzerland

Find out more about this Research Grant.

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