A multiscale, element-tag XRF imaging screen of breast cancer patient samples to reveal the key molecular mechanisms of HER2 positive breast

Cancer is subtyped according to the presence of certain features such as molecular markers. However, patients with similar levels of key molecular markers exhibit different levels of response or resistance to the same treatment strategy. This project will apply the multi-element Z-tag XRF (MEZ-XRF) imaging method we developed in a prior beamtime at ID15A, to reveal not only single-cell marker expression within a tissue, but the subcellular location of these molecules in key cell populations (spatial context that informs cell function/dysfunction). Specifically, we will use MEZ-XRF to study if subcellular context underlies why only some human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive (HER2+) breast cancers respond to targeted treatment. Only MEZ-XRF can efficiently image the multiplicity of markers across spatial scales this question requires, the results of which, will have implications for future HER2+ breast cancer diagnostic and therapeutic development.