Oncology and Immuno-Oncology INSIGHTS

In a recent article in The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Khot et al. examined the pharmacokinetics (PK) of exogenously administered T cells in a syngeneic tumor model. As immuno-oncology therapeutics expand into cell-based therapies, such as CAR-T cells, this type of research is needed to support their development. Khot et al. provide valuable insight into the PK of T cell-based therapeutics in this new paper....  Read More

The approval of Ipilimumab (Yervoy®, BMS) in 2011 finally offered hope to metastatic melanoma patients — and set off a revolution in cancer treatment. Since 2011, regulatory agencies have approved eleven more immunotherapy drugs. Immunotherapy research continues to explode. There are close to thirty approved drugs that stimulate the immune system to kill cancerous cells1. As of September 2018, there were over 3,300 active immuno-oncology agents in...  Read More

The EACR Conference on Immuno-Oncology attracted academic and pharmaceutical researchers from all over the world to the Casa Milà in Barcelona, Spain. Attendees shared their recent findings in fundamental and translational research and discussed clinical studies in immuno-oncology and immunotherapy. EACR 2019 Immuno-Oncology Conference Series This Insight only highlights a small fraction of the discussions, seminars and presentations from this year's conference series. Speakers Richard Flavell and...  Read More

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. To increase awareness, the Colorectal Cancer Alliance (CC Alliance) has launched a public awareness campaign called "Don't Assume". This organization aims to challenge assumptions about colorectal cancer through online, print, and social media marketing. Unfortunately, this type of cancer is the third most common cancer in the US and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths1. While previous studies have...  Read More

Immunogenic tumor cells often display protein antigens at their surface, which can be recognized by T cells and serve as a signal for T cells to attack the tumor. However, one long-standing paradox is that tumor-specific T cells often co-exist with the tumor cells. If a T cell has already recognized the tumor cells, why can't the T cell kill them at an early stage? How T...  Read More

Dr. Jens Hoffmann of EPO presented a webinar highlighting new data on preclinical immuno-oncology research using humanized models. The growth in immuno-oncology (IO) research has created a need for more relevant models. The IO field includes many types of drugs, including: genetically engineered immune cells such as CAR-T cells various antibody-based therapies such as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and bi-specific T cell engagers (BITEs) oncolytic viruses and bacteria...  Read More

There are over 1.7 million new cancer diagnoses each year in the US alone1. While recent advances in immuno-oncology and personalized medicine have the potential to decrease cancer deaths, there is still a lack of commonly-used early diagnostic tests to detect the presence of cancer before the patient experiences any physiological symptoms. Liquid Biopsies for Early Detection Research into liquid biopsies as a tool for early cancer...  Read More

Autophagy in Cellular Processes Autophagy is derived from Greek and means self(auto)-eating(phagy). This process occurs in all eukaryotic cell types that contain a lysosomal compartment. In fact, basal autophagy contributes to long-lived protein degradation, organelle turnover in the cytoplasm, and the recycling of macromolecules to maintain bioenergetics1. The purpose of autophagy is not solely the simple elimination of materials, but rather the dynamic recycling of cellular components...  Read More

The 2018 Nobel Prize for Medicine was awarded to James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo for their contributions in the field of Immuno-Oncology. The Immuno-Oncology revolution has improved quality of life and decreased cancer mortality rates, though cancer remains the second leading cause of death worldwide. Immuno-Oncology Databases A variety of models played key roles in the development of cancer therapies, such as xenograft and syngeneic mouse...  Read More

October marks National Liver Awareness month. Estimates for the global burden of chronic liver disease range from 50 million to over 100 million affected individuals. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), from 2000 — 2015 there was a 31% increase in deaths from chronic liver disease. Numerous diseases ranging from liver cancer to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to hepatitis pose an increasing...  Read More