Duke researchers have published a novel protocol for collecting and processing human spinal cord tumors during spine surgery for single-cell studies.
The authors noted that spinal column tumors can be difficult to process due to the how different the tissue can be.
The protocol specifically targets patients with prostate cancer that has spread to the spine.
Rory Goodwin, MD, PhD, the paper’s senior author, said the protocol can be used to identify prognostic markers and therapeutic targets for these patients, which then better identifies those who might be eligible for clinical trials. Gathering these samples during surgery is secondary to the routine procedure.