Abstract 6311: Enabling scalable, precise, and fast spatial biology studies with Orion and OMERO Plus
Authors: Erin Diel, Edward Lo
Journal: Cancer Research (2025)

Abstract The field of spatial biology requires the simultaneous evaluation of 10s to 100s of biomarkers across entire tissue sections, as these complex measurements yield key insights into the organization and state of cells in tissues, and thus are critical for discovery and clinical applications. However, producing such data at speeds consistent with translational applications and enabling responsive visualization of this multidimensional data remain a challenge. We present the integration of fast data acquisition with performant data management and visualization for employing these spatial biology workflows at scale. RareCyte’s Orion is a next generation imaging instrument powering a new paradigm in spatial biology. Utilizing a novel, single round staining technique, Orion spatial biology allows for up to 20 channels (18 marker + 2 autofluorescence channels), same section H&amp;E, and flexible panel design, all within the context of whole-specimen tissue imaging. The combined power of the Orion instrument and workflow enables ultra-fast imaging at a low run cost and preserves the integrity of the tissue sample, providing scale to translational and clinical studies. Glencoe Software’s OMERO Plus is a powerful enterprise image data management platform which enables remote viewing, sharing and analysis of large-scale biological image datasets, including metadata ranging from simple annotations to complex, quantitative descriptions of cells within images. Furthermore, OMERO Plus’ open API allows for flexible customization and integration with other tools and pipelines. Additionally, OMERO Plus ensures data integrity and reproducibility by tracking experimental conditions and data provenance. The seamless integration of Orion and OMERO Plus enables efficient workflows connecting data acquisition to analysis and visualization. Here, we introduce a new visual data mining interface called Pageant, which supports the exploration and classification of millions of cells based on hundreds of features. Using image data from Orion systems, diverse cell types can be classified based on intensity features from 18 markers of interest, in addition to cell morphometric features. Cell-cell interactions can then be studied using the spatial location and distribution of classified cell types. We performed an iterative classification workflow, first by finding marker-positive cell populations, then by creating boolean combinations of these markers into biologically-meaningful cell types, all within a web browser. We report speed improvements in using OMERO Plus and Pageant for remote interactions with analytical data, in some cases greater than 10x. Pageant transforms the scientist’s ability to make conclusions from analytical data without code at scale. Citation Format: Erin Diel, Edward Lo. Enabling scalable, precise, and fast spatial biology studies with Orion and OMERO Plus [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2025; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2025 Apr 25-30; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2025;85(8_Suppl_1):Abstract nr 6311.