PD-1 inhibition (Figure 1) has quickly become a front-line therapy for non-small cell lung cancer and melanoma. Moreover, PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors are being tested in combination with other checkpoint inhibitors, targeted therapies, cancer vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and other modalities. But, how does PD-1 blunt the anti-tumor immune response?
AbbVie has recently licensed rights to a monoclonal antibody discovered by Argenx, ARGX-115, paying $20MM up-front and up to $625MM in milestones based on development, approval, and commercial performance. This monoclonal antibody targets a central player in the complex tumor microenvironment – the regulatory T-cell (Treg).
The tumor microenvironment (TME) includes a host of cells (mesenchymal, immune, vascular), cytokines, and other signaling molecules that serve to abrogate the innate and adaptive immune responses against the tumor. This is appropriate to maintain tissue homeostasis, and to prevent autoimmunity after the rogue cancer cells have been eliminated. Cancer cells co-opt many of these […]
Immune checkpoint inhibitors are simply cancer wonder drugs about which we are learning more each day. Because they don’t work optimally in many patients and some even hyper-progress, the goal is to determine ways to expand their effectiveness to more patients. As such, the number of clinical studies with checkpoints and checkpoint combinations continues to […]
Two companies – Biontech, RNA vaccine and Neon Therapeutics, peptide vaccine – reported very positive results of neo-antigen vaccines in patients with refractory metastatic melanoma.
Leap Therapeutics, an immuno-oncology company, recently reversed merge with Macrocure to become a publicly traded company, and received an investment of $10MM from current investors in order to advance two antibodies – DKN-01, a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) protein on cancer cells, and TRX518, a humanized GITR agonist that augments T-cell responses […]
Researchers have identified vesicles containing micro-RNA are important in the aggressive biologic behavior of melanoma, a cancer that kills via metastasizing to distant sites from primary tumors that are quite small.
An experimental therapy made of genetically-modified donor T-cells cured a baby with incurable leukemia:
Roche (Genentech) entered into a $1 billion deal with NewLink Genetics, a company with an IDO (indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase) inhibitor.
Immune checkpoint control is the hottest area in cancer immunology. Indeed, the checkpoint inhibitors have shown great activity in a variety of cancers. This article http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20140506-908279.html) summarizes 2 approaches that Merck is taking…