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Author Spotlight: Unlocking Insights into the Immune Cell Landscape of Tumors
Published on: August 18, 2023
Biomarker for personalized immunotherapy
Si-Yang Liu1,2, Yi-Long Wu1,2
1Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine in Lung Cancer, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital & Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou 510080, China.
Abstract:
Programmed cell death 1/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) interaction protects cancer cells from immune destruction. Blocking the pathway allows infiltrated T cells to kill tumor cells (TCs), in order to prevent tumor proliferation and distant migration. Immunotherapy with checkpoint blockade (CPB) has emerged as a powerful weapon conquering multiple cancer. However, PD-L1 expression and tumor mutation burden (TMB) are not perfect biomarkers for patients selection to treated with immunotherapy. Increasing evidence showed that other immune-related factored must be payed enough attention and combined biomarkers present promising prospects. Here, we give an overview on available biomarkers in clinic and potential biomarkers for future research.
Insights
Checkpoint blockade immunotherapy shows promise, but programmed cell death 1/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) expression and tumor mutation burden (TMB) aren't perfect predictors. Further research into combined biomarkers is crucial for effective patient selection.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Oncology
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- The interaction between Programmed Cell Death 1 (PD-1) and its ligand (PD-L1) is a key mechanism tumors use to evade immune destruction.
- Checkpoint blockade (CPB) immunotherapy, which targets the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway, has revolutionized cancer treatment by enabling T cells to attack tumor cells.
- Current biomarkers like PD-L1 expression and tumor mutation burden (TMB) have limitations in predicting patient response to CPB immunotherapy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review existing clinical biomarkers for CPB immunotherapy.
- To explore novel and emerging biomarkers for improved patient stratification.
- To highlight the potential of combined biomarker strategies in predicting immunotherapy efficacy.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of clinical studies and preclinical research on cancer immunotherapy biomarkers.
- Analysis of current data on PD-L1 expression and TMB as predictive markers.
- Synthesis of evidence regarding other immune-related factors and their potential as biomarkers.
Main Results:
- PD-L1 expression and TMB are imperfect predictors of response to CPB immunotherapy.
- Several other immune-related factors show potential as biomarkers for immunotherapy.
- Combined biomarker approaches demonstrate promise for enhancing patient selection.
Conclusions:
- Optimizing patient selection for CPB immunotherapy requires moving beyond single biomarkers.
- Further investigation into a broader range of immune-related biomarkers and their combinations is essential.
- Future research should focus on developing and validating multi-biomarker panels for personalized cancer immunotherapy.
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