Immuno-oncologic approaches: CAR-T cells and checkpoint inhibitors

Publication date: Available online 17 June 2017 Source:Clinical Lymphoma Myeloma and Leukemia Author(s): Francesca Gay, Mattia D’Agostino, Luisa Giaccone, Mariella Genuardi, Moreno Festuccia, Mario Boccadoro, Benedetto Bruno Advances in understanding the myeloma biology have shown that disease progression is not only the consequence of intrinsic tumor changes but also of interactions between the tumor and the microenvironment in which the cancer grows. Immune system is an important component of the tumor microenvironment in myeloma, and acting on immune system is an appealing new treatment strategy. There are 2 ways to act towards immune cells and boost anti-tumor immunity: 1) to increase antitumor activity (acting on T and NK cytotoxic cells); and 2) to reduce immunosuppression (acting on myeloid-derived stem-cells and T regulatory cells). Checkpoint inhibitors and adoptive cell therapy (ACT) are two of the main actors, together with monoclonal antibodies and immunomodulatory agents, in the immune-oncologic approach. The aim of checkpoint inhibitors is to release the brakes that block the action of the immune system against the tumor. Anti-programmer death-1 (PD1) and PD1-Ligand, as well as anti-CTLA4 and KIR are currently under evaluation, as single agents or in combination, with so far the best results achieved with combination of anti-PD1 and immunomodulatory agents. The aim of ACT is to create an immune effector specific against the tumor. Preliminary results ...
Source: Clinical Lymphoma Myeloma and Leukemia - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research