Immunotherapies, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and chimeric antigen receptor-T cell therapies, depend heavily on a healthy and diverse gut microbiome for optimal efficacy. Dysbiosis, or an imbalance in gut microbial composition and function, …
This short perspective presents, at a high level, some observations and speculations about cancer immunotherapy that derive from experiences at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Novartis Institutes of Biomedical Research.
In recent years, evidence has shown that the gut microbiome significantly influences responses to immunotherapy. This has sparked interest in targeting it to improve therapy outcomes and predictions of response and toxicity. Research has demonstrated …
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are produced by all living cells and are present in all body fluids. EVs are heterogeneous in size, biogenesis, molecular/genetic content and functions. They constitute a part of the intercellular communication system. Amo…
Neoadjuvant (presurgical) anti-programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1)-based immunotherapy as a new approach to cancer treatment has been developing on an accelerated trajectory since the seminal clinical trial results from studies in lung cancer and m…
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is considered an immunologically ‘cold’ tumor that fails to attract or support effector T cells. Most PDACs are resistant to immune checkpoint blockade due to the complex signaling pathways that exist withi…
