Tumors are one of the major problems facing global medical research, and precise treatment of tumors is the key to achieving effective treatment. However, the premise of precise treatment is to be able to have a comprehensive and clear understanding of the molecular information inside the tumor. Space omics technology that has emerged in recent years is expected to solve this problem. Spatial omics is like taking "molecular-level high-definition photos" for tumors, which can fully reveal the structural characteristics of tumors at the molecular level. Through these "photos", researchers can gain insight into the specific characteristics of the tumor and help clinicians obtain more accurate disease information. However, how to ensure the high resolution of the "photo" of tumor protein molecules while also covering a larger field of view has always been a technical problem facing spatial proteomics.

In response to the above technical difficulties, Zhao Fangqing's team from the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences achieved the first analysis of the spatial distribution of thousands of proteins at the entire tissue section level through spatial proteomics technology PLATO. my country's scientific researchers have used artificial intelligence technology to help cancer diagnosis and treatment to make new progress. Through deeply integrating artificial intelligence algorithms, microfluidic control technology and mass spectrometry analysis, they have successfully broken through many bottlenecks in existing space proteomics technology. This result was published in the international academic journal "Cell" (Cell) on January 24, Beijing time.

It is understood that a highlight of PLATO's spatial proteomics technology is its extremely high information utilization rate. It takes full advantage of artificial intelligence to conduct efficient spatial proteome analysis in the entire tissue under limited sample data. It can achieve ultra-high resolution of 25 microns in a great field of view and simultaneously detect the distribution of more than thousands of proteins in tumor tissue. This process is like taking "high-definition images" of tumors at the same time from thousands of different dimensions, allowing us to fully understand the internal workings of the tumor from multiple angles. The research team's application in breast cancer samples demonstrates the great potential of PLATO: not only clearly shows the distribution of molecules inside the tumor, but also reveals the complex interaction between tumor cells and the surrounding microenvironment.

With the continuous optimization of technology, PLATO is expected to be used in clinical diagnosis, especially to provide new solutions for the precise typing and personalized treatment of rare tumors. In the future, researchers hope that PLATO can provide clinicians with a complete tumor molecular map, so that the diagnosis and treatment of tumors are no longer "one-size-fits-all" but tailored, so as to help patients obtain the most appropriate treatment plan and improve survival and quality of life.

(CCTV reporter Shuai Junquan Chu Erjia)