T cells of the adaptive immune system are not the only cytotoxic cells in the immune system. Natural killer cells (NK cells) are a cytotoxic white blood cell (lymphocyte) of the innate immune system. Clinical trials with NK cells use these as cell-based biologic therapies: The NK cells are the therapy. New research suggests that … Read more
Efforts are underway to identify the molecular reasons why some patients exhibit an enduring response to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. These patients have been called “exceptional” responders or “super” responders. Some patients that have cancers with a lot of DNA mutations (high mutational burden) are better responders to immune checkpoint therapy compared with patients that … Read more
A main goal of current research and clinical trials is to expand the number of patients that benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors. Thus, it is perhaps not surprising that combination therapies are the future for these immunotherapies in treating cancer. There are many clinical trials that combine an immunotherapy with conventional chemotherapy (drugs that kill … Read more
Better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that control the adaptive immune system will lead to better immunotherapies for cancer patients or patients with other diseases related to inappropriate immune responses. Two of the processes that inhibit T cell function are called immune checkpoint pathways. New research reveals that these pathways involve many cells of the … Read more
There are now many types of anti-cancer drugs that target the immune system, including those that override the immune system’s natural regulatory processes. These processes function as the brakes on the immune system. The FDA-approved immune checkpoint inhibitors are Keytruda (pembrolizumab), Opdivo (nivolumab), Tecentriq (atezolizumab), and Yervoy (ipilimumab). Several investigational drugs [MK-4166, GWN323, MS-986156, INCAGN01876, … Read more