Table 1 Overview of current cutting-edge techniques in HCC immune research
From: Immune microenvironment in hepatocellular carcinoma: from pathogenesis to immunotherapy
Technique | Methodology | Applications | References |
|---|---|---|---|
Multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF) | Consecutive IF staining of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections | • Extracellular or subcellular location of HCC markers • Biomarker changes in different etiology-derived HCC | |
Flow cytometry (FC) | Fluorescent labeling of cell-surface antigens subjected to laser excitation | • Transmembrane receptor analysis • HCC immune cell sorting • Immunophenotyping • Identification of novel HCC immune subsets | |
Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) | cDNA library is prepared from isolated single cells for high-throughput sequencing | • Immune profiling • Immunophenotyping • Identification of novel HCC immune subsets | |
Multiomics (spatial proteomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics) | Integrates protein, gene expression, and metabolite profiling with spatial resolution. | • Spatial distribution of immune cells • Immune-evasive niche identification • Linkage of metabolic rewiring with HCC progression. | |
Hepatocyte-derived organoids | In vitro generation of three-dimensional liver-like structures from isolated hepatocytes | • Drug discovery • Immunotherapy assays • Disease development |
