Immunological targets for cancer therapy: new recognition

Abstract

Michael R Shurin1,21Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; 2Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USADuring the last decade, we have witnessed exhilarating progress in the expansion of immunotherapeutic approaches to cancer treatment. In part, this has been because of discovery and development of antibodies which can block immune inhibitory receptors unleashing antitumor immune responses – the so-called checkpoint inhibitors. Blocking cancer progression by eliminating brakes on immune effector cells in the tumor environment has jointly earned James P Allison, PhD (Department of Immunology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, TX, USA) and Tasuku Honjo, MD, PhD (Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan) the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2018. Whereas the concept of cancer immunosurveillance dates back more than 100 years, the study of Allison’s and Honjo’s teams over the past few decades not only confirmed the idea but also converted it into an effective immunotherapeutic tactic, which dramatically improved outcomes for some cancer patients. 

Keywords

• Immunological targets
• checkpoint inhibitors
• Nobel proze