Although radiotherapy is widely used in cancer treatment, its effects on the tumor microenvironment (TME) can be immunosuppressive as well as immunostimulatory. Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is expressed by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in several tumors, with higher levels linked to a weakened immune response to immune checkpoint blockade in patients.
Immunostimulant therapy using agonistic cytokines or activating antibodies has been associated with off-target side effects, failure to preferentially activate cytotoxic lymphocytes (CTLs) over regulatory T cells (Treg), and the development of T-cell exhaustion. With the aim of overcoming these issues, researchers from Recourse Biologics Inc. designed a potentially first-in-class immunostimulatory fusion protein.
Multiple endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) in human DNA may be programmed to activate as cancer therapy. A recent study, led by scientists at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, expanded on a previously reported case of kidney cancer cure after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation attributed to the expression of an ERV driven by the hypoxia-inducible factor 2 (HIF2). The question was whether this finding might play out with different ERVs and different types of cancer through HIF.
Taichengsi (Shanghai) Biomedical Co. Ltd. has described antibody-drug conjugates comprising an antibody covalently bound to a cytotoxic drug through a bivalent olefin linker optionally consisting of an isotope-labeled compound reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer.
Guangdong Fapon Biopharma Inc. has obtained IND clearance from the FDA for FP-008, its first-in-class immunocytokine for patients with solid tumors refractory to anti-PD-1 therapy.
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a member of the herpesvirus family, is a highly common human pathogen that can remain latent in B lymphocytes after the primary infection. Although this latent state is frequently asymptomatic, in some cases, it can lead to the development of malignancies such as Burkitt lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and some gastric cancer subtypes.
Medigene AG and Epimab Biotherapeutics Inc. have entered a strategic codevelopment agreement to research and develop off-the-shelf T-cell receptor (TCR)-guided T-cell engagers (TCR-TCEs) for the treatment of immune-related disorders, such as solid tumors.
Although immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown noticeable clinical benefits, tumor evasion of single-agent immunotherapy occurs in some patients due to the compensatory role of alternative immune checkpoints. A viable strategy could be the use of combination immunotherapies targeting multiple immunosuppressive pathways to fully activate T cells and enhance response rates.
Enhanced quantity and functionality of natural killer (NK) cells in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been associated with improved prognosis and survival. Therefore, NK cell-based immunotherapy has been proposed for treating HCC, relying on the activation of NK cell receptors like natural cytotoxicity receptors (NCRs), which recognize specific ligands on HCC cells. However, the effectiveness of this approach remains low due to tumor immune evasion.
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