Metastasis to distant organs is the major cause of death in cancer patients. In many types of cancer
metastasis occurs in the bone marrow, where normally cells of the immune system develop. Yet, very
little is known about how these normal immune cells and tumor cells change when the latter metastasize
to the bone marrow. In this study we investigate the cellular composition of bone marrow metastases in
the childhood cancer neuroblastoma. To learn more about changes in the tumor cells, we compare the
variety of different (heterogeneous) tumor cells in the primary tumor with the bone marrow metastasis
and how cells are altered during therapy. On the other hand, we investigate changes in the immune
microenvironment in the metastatic bone marrow. To do so, we use a combination of methods that allow
us to investigate tumor tissue at very high, i.e. single cell, resolution: automated fluorescence microscopy,
imaging mass cytometry and RNA-sequencing. Deep learning algorithms will help to align the microscopy
images and detect cells and biomarkers. This multi-disciplinary project will lead to a better understanding
of metastasis in childhood cancers and is expected to improve diagnosis of affected patients.