Developed by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University’s Knight Cancer Institute, the tool, dubbed OmicsTweezer, uses advanced machine learning techniques to analyze biological data at a scale large enough to estimate the composition of cell types in a sample of tissue that may be taken from a biopsy.

This process allows scientists to map the cellular makeup of tumors and surrounding tissues—an area known as the tumor microenvironment.

They published their findings in Cell Genomics.

“The tumor microenvironment, made up of diverse cell types that shape tumor development and patient outcomes, has been a longstanding research priority at the Knight Cancer Institute,” said senior author Zheng Xia, Ph.D., associate professor of biomedical engineering in the OHSU School of Medicine and a member of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute.