A new Lung Cancer Master Protocol (Lung-MAP) study conducted within the National Cancer Institute’s National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) and the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) has found that a subset of patients lived significantly longer when they received a combination therapy of ramucirumab (Cyramza) plus pembrolizumab (Keytruda) compared…

In a deal worth approximately $250 million, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals will acquire Checkmate Pharmaceuticals in a deal that expands the buyer’s immuno-oncology pipeline. Checkmate’s lead candidate is included in the deal. Vidutolimod (CMP-001), is being developed as a monotherapy and in numerous combinations—including in tandem with Regeneron’s marketed multi-indication cancer drug…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of the anti-lymphocyte-activation gene (LAG)-3 agent relatlimab in combination with the anti-programmed death (PD)-1 drug nivolumab for patients with treatment-naïve advanced melanoma. The approval is based on the results of the Phase II/III RELATIVITY-047 trial published in the New England…

In a small study of 16 patients with angiosarcoma, tumors in four patients partially or completely responded to treatment with a combination of the immunotherapy drugs ipilimumab and nivolumab. Another two patients maintained stable disease on the drug combination. In some cases, responses to treatment have been sustained for longer…

Researchers at City of Hope have found that a small subset of patients with the most common type of metastatic colorectal cancer are responsive to checkpoint blockade immunotherapy. “When we stratified the patients by the presence or absence of liver metastases, we noted that about 20% of patients without liver…

A new immunotherapy against hepatitis B virus (HBV), the world’s most common cause of liver cancer, has been identified by researchers at University College London (UCL). Using immune cells isolated directly from patient liver and tumor tissue, the investigators showed that using a known drug compound to block the activity…

Researchers based at Mount Sinai have identified gene signatures that indicate whether or not someone with metastatic urothelial cancer of the bladder will respond to treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors or not. As well as identifying genotypes associated with sensitivity and resistance to this therapy, the team also found that…

Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, reported the discovery of a potential new target for immunotherapy of malignant brain tumors. The team used single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to study gene expression and the clonal landscape of tumor-infiltrating T cells across…

Research from a team at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center has revealed a number of different mechanisms that help explain why immunotherapy clinical trials targeting osteosarcoma have, thus far, failed to yield significant advances and suggested new therapeutic strategies based on these findings. Osteosarcoma is the most…

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, in collaboration with researchers at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center have identified a new potential strategy for boosting the immune system’s ability to fight cancer. Studies in gene knockout mice suggested that a protein known as Siah2 is involved in the control of…

A new study has identified a subclass of macrophages which have possibly been disrupting drugs designed to target the anti-PD-1 checkpoint blockade in the deadly form of brain cancer, glioblastoma. By understanding the mechanisms, genetic targets, and now tumor microenvironments involved in this interaction, it may be possible to design…

In 2013, much of the world was introduced to the burgeoning field of precision medicine when world-famous actress, Angelina Jolie, announced she had undergone a double mastectomy to reduce her chances of getting breast cancer. With that announcement, things like BRCA genes, mutations, and proteins were thrust onto the public…

Immunotherapy has been a life-saving intervention for an array of diseases, particularly cancer. However, the treatments are not suited for every patient and can lead to serious side effects and even death. Understanding which patients would be best served by immunotherapy treatments is quickly becoming an essential factor in designing…

This year, the Nobel committee has sought to recognize the enormous potential and meteoric rise in success of immunotherapy as a strategy for treating cancer. By stimulating the inherent ability of our immune system to attack tumor cells this year’s Nobel Laureates have established an entirely new principle for cancer…

Until recently, the model of what constitutes a companion diagnostic (CDx) for a drug was straightforward: It identified a biomarker that indicated an approved drug was indicated for a specific patient’s treatment. One test; one drug. It seems almost too elegant in its simplicity. And often, it is. For patients…