The Pipeline for Digital Analysis of IHC Images from NSCLC Xenograft Tissues

Multiple small molecule inhibitors and immunotherapy advances have shown success by prolonging patients survival in NSCLC but patient with metastasis or advanced stage of cancer often experiences relapse. Cancer associated fibroblast (CAFs), a major cellular component of tumor microenvironment plays key role in shaping solid tumors. In-vitro studies have reported that CAFs can blunt the effect of targeted therapies in tumor cells. The current study focuses on evaluating the impact of stromal protection by analyzing immunohistochemistry (IHC) images from xenograft experiment. The study investigates if the HGF-driven CAF mediated stromal protection in cancer cell contributes to the development of resistance to Alectinib. We utilized QuPath, a digital software to automatize the readout of proliferation rate of tumor cells and evaluate the impact of stromal protection.