More accurate PD-L1 cancer testing with virtual multiplex staining
Reproducible and Accurate PD-L1 Immunohistochemistry Biomarker Quantification Using Virtual Multiplex Immunofluorescence Restaining
This project uses virtual multiplex immunofluorescence and computer algorithms to make PD-L1 biomarker tests more reliable for people with cancers such as bladder or breast so doctors can better choose immunotherapy.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R37 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11238871 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
The team will take routine tumor biopsy slides and use computational methods to create virtual multiplex immunofluorescence images that show PD-L1 and other markers separately. They will compare these virtual images to standard PD-L1 immunohistochemistry and to true multiplex-stained images to create objective, reproducible PD-L1 scores. The work uses archived tumor tissue and digital pathology plus machine learning to standardize scoring across laboratories. From a patient's view, this aims to reduce pathologist disagreement and better identify who is unlikely to benefit from very costly immunotherapy.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with cancers where PD-L1 guides treatment decisions (for example bladder or certain breast cancers) who have available tumor biopsy tissue or stored tumor samples.
Not a fit: Patients without available tumor tissue, whose treatment does not depend on PD-L1 testing, or whose cancer types do not use PD-L1 as a biomarker are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help doctors match patients to immunotherapy more accurately and avoid ineffective, expensive treatments.
How similar studies have performed: Prior work shows multiplex immunofluorescence and digital pathology can outperform standard IHC for PD-L1, but virtual restaining and the specific computational scoring approach in this project are relatively new and need validation.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nadeem, Saad — Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
- Study coordinator: Nadeem, Saad
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.