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Updated: Dec 29, 2025
Isolation and Flow Cytometric Analysis of Glioma-infiltrating Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells
Published on: November 28, 2015
Understanding the glioblastoma immune microenvironment as basis for the development of new immunotherapeutic
Ana Rita Pombo Antunes1,2, Isabelle Scheyltjens1,2, Johnny Duerinck3
1Myeloid Cell Immunology Lab, VIB Center for Inflammation Research, Brussels, Belgium.
Abstract:
Cancer immunotherapy by immune checkpoint blockade has proven its great potential by saving the lives of a proportion of late stage patients with immunogenic tumor types. However, even in these sensitive tumor types, the majority of patients do not sufficiently respond to the therapy. Furthermore, other tumor types, including glioblastoma, remain largely refractory. The glioblastoma immune microenvironment is recognized as highly immunosuppressive, posing a major hurdle for inducing immune-mediated destruction of cancer cells. Scattered information is available about the presence and activity of immunosuppressive or immunostimulatory cell types in glioblastoma tumors, including tumor-associated macrophages, tumor-infiltrating dendritic cells and regulatory T cells. These cell types are heterogeneous at the level of ontogeny, spatial distribution and functionality within the tumor immune compartment, providing insight in the complex cellular and molecular interplay that determines the immune refractory state in glioblastoma. This knowledge may also yield next generation molecular targets for therapeutic intervention.
Insights
Cancer immunotherapy shows promise but faces challenges. Glioblastoma
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunology
- Neuro-oncology
Background:
- Cancer immunotherapy, particularly immune checkpoint blockade, has shown success in specific cancers.
- However, many patients with immunogenic tumors and most with glioblastoma do not respond to current immunotherapies.
- Glioblastoma presents a highly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, hindering effective anti-cancer immune responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying glioblastoma's immune refractory state.
- To identify potential therapeutic targets for enhancing immunotherapy efficacy in glioblastoma.
Main Methods:
- Review and synthesis of existing literature on glioblastoma immunology.
- Analysis of the heterogeneity of immune cell populations within the glioblastoma tumor microenvironment.
Main Results:
- Glioblastoma features a complex and immunosuppressive immune microenvironment.
- Key immunosuppressive and immunostimulatory cell types, including tumor-associated macrophages, dendritic cells, and regulatory T cells, exhibit significant heterogeneity.
- This heterogeneity in ontogeny, spatial distribution, and function contributes to the immune refractory nature of glioblastoma.
Conclusions:
- Understanding the intricate interplay of immune cells in glioblastoma is crucial for overcoming treatment resistance.
- The identified cellular and molecular characteristics offer potential targets for developing next-generation immunotherapies for glioblastoma.
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02:17The Tumor Microenvironment