QLS Semniar - Magali Richard

Computational approaches to characterize cellular and spatial heterogeneity in cancer

Magali Richard, CHU Grenoble Alpes
Tuesday October 28, 12-1pm
Zoom Link:听
In Person: 550 Sherbrooke, Room 189

Abstract:听Cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease, with each tumor evolving as a multicellular, self-organized system. Tumors comprise diverse cell types of distinct origins, interacting dynamically to shape a complex ecosystem. This cellular heterogeneity is a major driver of cancer progression, yet remains challenging to observe, quantify, and interpret. Our limited ability to accurately estimate it continues to hamper a comprehensive understanding of oncogenesis. At the interface of bioinformatics, biostatistics, and oncology, our work develops computational strategies to analyze high-dimensional, multimodal molecular data, including single-cell and spatial transcriptomic datasets. These tools aim to disentangle tumor complexity and reveal its functional implications.

In this talk, I will present approaches we have designed to characterize tumor heterogeneity. I will illustrate them with two examples: (i) the construction of single-cell atlases to describe cellular heterogeneity in pancreatic adenocarcinoma, and (ii) the analysis of spatial organization to predict how heterogeneity shapes tumor evolution. Finally, I will highlight our efforts to foster collaborative benchmarking and evaluation of computational algorithms through data challenge frameworks. By enabling transparent comparison of methods, such initiatives foster reproducibility and accelerate the translation of methodological research into biological discovery.