Immunotherapy has transformed cancer treatment for some patients, but many patients with metastatic colon cancer still do not experience lasting benefit. One major reason is that tumors spread throughout the body unevenly, creating very different immune environments in different organs. While some tumors are filled with active immune cells, others remain “immune-cold,” meaning they successfully hide from immune attack.
Scientists currently lack tools to visualize these differences across the entire body at once, making it difficult to understand why some metastatic tumors resist treatment while others respond. Dr. Luo is developing a groundbreaking technology called “wildDISCO-immunomics” to solve this problem. His approach uses advanced tissue-clearing methods to make entire organisms transparent, allowing researchers to create detailed three-dimensional maps of immune cells and metastatic tumors throughout the body.
By combining this technology with advanced imaging, immune staining, robotics, and artificial intelligence, Dr. Luo will identify which tumors remain immune-cold and analyze the molecular signals that allow them to evade the immune system.
The ultimate goal is to discover new treatment combinations capable of turning resistant tumors into immune-responsive ones. This work could provide an entirely new understanding of how metastatic cancer hides throughout the body and pave the way for more effective, personalized immunotherapies for patients with advanced colon cancer.
Projects and Grants: Whole-body immune cell mapping platform for understanding immunotherapy resistance
