Liquid Biopsy and the Translational Bridge from the TIME to the Clinic

Research and advancing understanding of the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) is vital to optimize and direct more effective cancer immune therapy. Pre-clinical bench research is vital to better understand the genomic interplay of the TIME and immune therapy responsiveness. However, a vital key to effective translational cancer research is having a bridge of translation to bring that understanding from the bench to the bedside. Without that bridge, research into the TIME will lack an efficient and effective translation into the clinic and cancer treatment decision making. As a clinical oncologist, the purpose of this commentary is to emphasize the importance of researching and improving clinical utility of the bridge, as well as the TIME research itself.