IO60 Spatial Omics Grant Program
Unlocking New Frontiers in Single-cell and Spatial Transcriptomics with Spatial Proteomics
The IO60 Spatial Omics Grant Program was designed to provide single-cell and spatial transcriptomics researchers with an opportunity to enhance their research using advanced spatial proteomics on the PhenoCycler®-Fusion 2.0 platform and the new PhenoCode IO60 Panel. The aim was to enable researchers to visualize protein distribution within tissue architecture, uncovering intricate connections to enhance their understanding of biological processes and complement their existing single-cell and/or spatial transcriptomics data.
Grant Program Awardee
Thank you to everyone who applied for this grant program! We received hundreds of entries, and our review committee was impressed with the exceptionally high caliber of proposals submitted. It was a difficult task to decide upon one winner.
However, we are delighted to announce that the recipients of this grant award are Lorena Rosas, Research Senior Associate, PhD, and her mentors, Drs. Mauricio Rojas and Ana L. Mora, from the Department of Internal Medicine at The Ohio State University, US, for their proposal to use the PhenoCycler-Fusion and PhenoCode IO60 panel to analyze key immune cell types, such as NK cells, within IPF lung tissue.
Congratulations, Dr. Lorena Rosas and Professors Mauricio Rojas and Ana L. Mora! Our team is excited to collaborate with you on this project!
Lorena Rosas, PhD
Research Senior Associate in the Department of Internal Medicine
Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, & Sleep Medicine
Davis Heart & Lung Research Institute
The Ohio State University
United States
Mauricio Rojas, MD
Professor and Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Internal Medicine
Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, & Sleep Medicine
Davis Heart & Lung Research Institute
The Ohio State University
United States
Ana L. Mora, MD
Associate Director of Lung Research DHLRI
Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine
Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, & Sleep Medicine
Davis Heart & Lung Research Institute
The Ohio State University
United States
Biography
Lorena Rosas is a Research Senior Associate in the lab of Drs. Ana L. Mora and Mauricio Rojas in the Department of Internal Medicine at The Ohio State University and Wexner Medical Center in Ohio, United States. She has a degree in Biological Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (U.N.A.M.) and a postgraduate in Cellular and Molecular Physiology from the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV). The research laboratory of Drs. Ana L. Mora and Mauricio Rojas boasts nearly 25 years of experience in the study of lung diseases, cellular senescence, and lung aging.
Their ongoing projects focus on the functional consequences of age-related exhaustion and senescence of mesenchymal cells, as well as the development of human preclinical models for lung therapies. Learn more
Study Proposal
The growing elderly population has led to increased interest in aging research, as aging is linked to many age-related diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and lung diseases like Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). IPF is characterized by scar tissue buildup in the lungs and an accumulation of senescent cells, which contribute to tissue remodeling and inflammation. Impaired immune clearance is believed to play a key role in the accumulation of senescent cells and the development of IPF.
Our lab demonstrated that immune system defects contribute to senescent cell accumulation in the lungs of individuals with IPF. scRNA-seq analyses show reduced NK and other immune cells populations in IPF lungs, along with impaired gene expression, emphasizing the immune system’s role in fibrosis resolution. However, scRNA-seq lacks tissue context and protein expression localization, which spatial proteomics can provide.
To address this gap, the PhenoCycler-Fusion 2.0 platform and IO60 Panel for spatial proteomics, would enable us to analyze key immune cell types, such as NK cells, within IPF lung tissue. By focusing on fibrotic foci, where excessive collagen deposition occurs, we aim to map the spatial localization and interactions of immune cells within the fibrotic microenvironment. This detailed mapping will offer crucial insights into immune-driven processes that drive disease progression. Additionally, we aim to uncover structural tissue alterations and identify senescent cells, marked by the absence of proliferation markers, which could open new therapeutic avenues.
We believe spatial proteomics is a powerful tool for uncovering immune cell dynamics and the pathological mechanisms of IPF and other age-related lung diseases, offering valuable insights for the development and testing novel treatments.