The PD-1 receptor, a major immune checkpoint inhibitor whose signaling is the target of multiple blockbuster anticancer drugs, differs functionally between rodents and humans in previously unknown ways. Researchers from the University of California, San Diego, and co-authors at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Cancer Institute reported these findings in the Jan. 3, 2025, online issue of Science Immunology.
CSPC Pharmaceutical Group Ltd.’s antibody-drug conjugate SYS-6045 has been granted clearance by China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) to enter clinical trials.
Naya Biosciences Inc. has expanded its bifunctional antibody pipeline to include NY-500, a novel PD-1 x VEGF tetravalent bifunctional antibody for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and other solid tumors.
Simcere Zaiming Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has announced clinical trial approvals in China and the U.S. for its CDH6-targeting antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), SIM-0505, for advanced solid tumors. A global clinical study will evaluate SIM-0505 in various malignant tumors, including ovarian cancer and renal cancer.
Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are crucial to trigger anticancer immune responses. Despite the promise of TLR agonists as potential anticancer agents, few have reached the clinics due to concerns related to cytokine release syndrome and limited efficacy.
Among the most profound results presented at the 2024 European Society for Medical Oncology Congress were the 10-year data from the Checkmate-067 and Keynote-006 trials of Opdivo and Keytruda as first-line agents in advanced or metastatic melanoma in which 10-year overall survival topped 40%. The success of checkpoint blockade, however, has not extended to all tumor types, but in 2024, molecular studies have led to advances in gene therapies and a multitude of approaches that have opened the door to hope.