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Tumor Immunotherapy

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.

The Tumor Microenvironment

The Tumor Microenvironment

Every normal cell or tissue is embedded in a complex local environment called stroma, consisting of different cell types, a basal membrane, and blood vessels. As normal cells mutate and develop into cancer cells, their local environment also changes to allow cancer progression. The tumor microenvironment (TME) consists of a complex cellular matrix of stromal cells and the developing tumor. The cross-talk between cancer cells and surrounding stromal cells is critical to disrupt normal tissue...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 20, 2025

Studying the Effects of Tumor-Secreted Paracrine Ligands on Macrophage Activation using Co-Culture with Permeable Membrane Supports

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Published on: November 28, 2019

Drug-induced altered self-presentation increases tumor immunogenicity.

Takeshi Susukida¹, So-Ichiro Sasaki¹, Tomohiro Shirayanagi²

¹Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Immunology, Section of Host Defences, Institute of Natural Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan.

Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & Pharmacotherapie

|July 31, 2023

Summary

The anti-HIV drug abacavir (ABC) enhances anti-tumor immunity by activating CD8+ T cells through altered self-presentation in HLA-B*57:01-expressing tumors. This drug-induced immune response inhibits tumor growth, suggesting a novel immunotherapy strategy.

Keywords:

Abacavir Altered self-presentation CD8(+) T cell Cancer immunotherapy MHC

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Area of Science:

Immunology
Pharmacology
Oncology

Background:

Abacavir (ABC), an anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) drug, binds to human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B*57:01.
This binding leads to the presentation of altered peptides, activating CD8+ T cells.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the impact of ABC-induced altered self-presentation by HLA-B*57:01 on cancer cell immunogenicity.
To evaluate the efficacy of ABC in CD8+ T-cell-dependent anti-tumor immunity.

Main Methods:

Establishment of human-mouse chimeric tumor cell lines expressing HLA-B*57:01 (B16F10 and 3LL).
In vivo testing of ABC's anti-tumor effects.
Analysis of CD8+ T-cell infiltration, proliferation, and cytokine secretion (IFN-γ).

Main Results:

ABC treatment significantly inhibited the growth of HLA-B*57:01-expressing tumors.
Tumor growth inhibition was dependent on CD8+ T cells.
ABC induced CXCR3-dependent CD8+ T-cell infiltration and activation, characterized by proliferation and IFN-γ secretion.

Conclusions:

Drug-induced altered self-presentation by HLA-B*57:01 can enhance anti-tumor immunity.
ABC treatment demonstrates potential as a strategy to increase tumor immunogenicity.
This approach may improve the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy.