Imaging the role of the tumor microenvironment in tumor progression and metastasis

Abstract

The use of fluorescent proteins for imaging in vivo, pioneered by our laboratory, revolutionalized the in vivo study of cancer in mouse models to visualize tumor growth and progression.  With the use of multiple colored fluorescent proteins, we developed imaging of the tumor microenvironment (TME) by color-coding cancer and stromal cells, and demonstrated the essential role of tumor-associated host cells in tumor progression and metastasis. Color-coded imaging of the TME has also enabled important discoveries of its cellular components.