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Enhancing anti-tumor immune responses through combination therapies: epigenetic drugs and immune checkpoint

Ying Liang1, Lingling Wang2, Peijun Ma3

  • 1Precision Pharmacy and Drug Development Center, Department of Pharmacy, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.

Frontiers in Immunology
|December 11, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Epigenetic changes impact cancer immunity and tumor cells. Combining epigenetic therapies with immunotherapies, like immune checkpoint inhibitors, shows promise for enhanced anti-tumor responses.

Area of Science:

  • Cancer Immunology
  • Epigenetics
  • Immunotherapy

Background:

  • Epigenetic mechanisms regulate gene expression without altering DNA sequence.
  • Aberrant epigenetic regulation can lead to cancer and affect anti-tumor immunity.
  • Epigenomic alterations influence immune cell function and tumor immunogenicity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review how epigenomic changes in immune cells impact anti-tumor responses.
  • To explore the combination of epigenetic therapy and cancer immunotherapy.
  • To highlight small-molecule inhibitors targeting epigenetic regulators for cancer treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of epigenomic changes in cancer and immunity.
  • Analysis of epigenetic therapy combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors (e.g., PD-1, CTLA-4).
  • Discussion on integrating epigenetic and immunotherapies for cancer treatment.

Main Results:

  • Epigenomic modifications significantly affect immune cell behavior and tumor immunogenicity.
  • Combined epigenetic and immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies show potential for amplified anti-tumor immunity.
  • Small-molecule inhibitors targeting epigenetic regulators can enhance anti-tumor immune responses.

Conclusions:

  • Epigenetic therapies can modulate the tumor microenvironment and immune response.
  • Integrating epigenetic drugs with immunotherapies offers a promising strategy for cancer treatment.
  • Targeting epigenetic regulators is a key approach to improving cancer immunotherapy efficacy.
Keywords:
T cellsanti-tumor immunityepigenetic regulationsimmune cellsimmune checkpoint inhibitors

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