Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 14, 2025

In Vivo Immunogenicity Screening of Tumor-Derived Extracellular Vesicles by Flow Cytometry of Splenic T Cells
08:02

In Vivo Immunogenicity Screening of Tumor-Derived Extracellular Vesicles by Flow Cytometry of Splenic T Cells

Published on: September 23, 2021

2.7K

Immunogenic Cell Death and Immunomodulatory Effects of Cabozantinib

Fabio Scirocchi1, Chiara Napoletano1, Angelica Pace1

  • 1Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Cell Therapy, Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.

Frontiers in Oncology
|November 8, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Cabozantinib, a cancer drug, may boost the immune system by triggering cancer cell death and influencing immune cells. This suggests potential for enhanced cancer immunotherapy treatments.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Immunology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Cabozantinib is a multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) used for medullary thyroid cancer, metastatic renal cell carcinoma, and hepatocellular carcinoma.
  • Combination therapy with cabozantinib and immunotherapy is standard for metastatic renal cancer and under investigation for prostate cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential immunostimulatory role of cabozantinib.
  • To explore cabozantinib's effects on prostate cancer cells and dendritic cells (DCs).

Main Methods:

  • In vitro treatment of prostate cancer cells with cabozantinib.
  • Analysis of cell cycle arrest and induction of immunogenic cell death (ICD).
  • Direct assessment of cabozantinib's effects on dendritic cells, including β-catenin modulation and phenotypic changes.

Main Results:

  • Cabozantinib treatment induced cell cycle arrest and immunogenic cell death in prostate cancer cells.
  • Cabozantinib directly modulated dendritic cells, down-regulating β-catenin and altering their migratory and costimulatory phenotype.
  • These findings suggest cabozantinib possesses immunomodulatory properties.

Conclusions:

  • Cabozantinib may exert an immunostimulatory effect by inducing immunogenic stress in cancer cells and modulating dendritic cells.
  • These immunomodulatory effects could be leveraged to optimize personalized immunotherapeutic strategies for cancer patients.
Keywords:
CabozantinibHMGB1TKI (tyrosine kinase inhibitors)dendritic cell (DC)extracellular vesicle (EV)immunogenic cell death (ICD)immunotherapyprostate cancer

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Understanding Cytokine-Induced Cell Death in Intestinal Epithelial Cells Using Human Organoids10:03

Author Spotlight: Understanding Cytokine-Induced Cell Death in Intestinal Epithelial Cells Using Human Organoids

Published on: August 2, 2024

1.7K
High-Content Screening Assay for the Identification of Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity Modifying Compounds13:59

High-Content Screening Assay for the Identification of Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity Modifying Compounds

Published on: August 18, 2023

2.3K

Related Concept Videos

Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response01:27

Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response

Cytotoxic T cells are a vital component of the immune system. They have the remarkable ability to identify and target antigens on infected or abnormal cells. These antigens often originate from intracellular pathogens such as viruses or abnormal proteins cancer cells produce.
Immunological surveillance is the ability of immune cells to monitor and eliminate infected cells with intracellular pathogens, neoplastically transformed cells, and cells with non-self antigens. Cytotoxic T cells and NK...
4.4K
Tumor Immunotherapy01:27

Tumor Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a treatment that boosts or manipulates the immune system to fight diseases, including cancer. For instance, by stimulating an immune response through vaccinations against viruses that cause cancers, like hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus, these diseases can be prevented. Nonetheless, some cancer cells can avoid the immune system due to their rapid mutation and division. The immune response to many cancers involves three phases: elimination, equilibrium, and escape.
731
Inhibition of Cdk Activity02:34

Inhibition of Cdk Activity

The orderly progression of the cell cycle depends on the activation of Cdk protein by binding to its cyclin partner. However, the cell cycle must be restricted when undergoing abnormal changes. Most cancers correlate to the deregulated cell cycle, and since Cdks are a central component of the cell cycle, Cdk inhibitors are extensively studied to develop anticancer agents. For instance, cyclin D associates with several Cdks, such as Cdk 4/6, to form an active complex. The cyclin D-Cdk4/6 complex...
5.0K
Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine02:50

Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine

Combining two or more treatment methods increases the life span of cancer patients while reducing damage to vital organs or tissue from the overuse of a single treatment. Combination therapy also targets different cancer-inducing pathways, thus reducing the chances of developing resistance to treatment.
The combination of the drug acetazolamide and sulforaphane is a good example of combination therapy to treat cancer. The cells in the interior of a large tumor often die due to the hypoxic and...
5.2K
Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
7.9K
Overview of Cell Death01:30

Overview of Cell Death

Cell death is an essential process where the body gets rid of old or damaged cells. Cell proliferation and death need to be balanced, as an imbalance between the two may lead to cancer or autoimmune diseases.
Cell death was observed in the early 19th century, but there was no experimental evidence to prove it. In 1842, Carl Vogt first discovered cell death in a metamorphic toad; however, it was not termed ‘cell death.’ Scientists discovered different cell death pathways only in the...
8.0K