Unexpected behavior of neutrophils unveiled by researchers at Stanford University could lead to a new type of immunotherapy to treat cancer. Although various studies have suggested that these cells are harmful due to their immunosuppressive characteristics, the scientists saw in them an opportunity to redirect them and eliminate tumors.
Immpact Bio USA Inc. has announced clearance of its IND application by the FDA for IMPT-314, a bispecific OR-Gate autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy targeting the B-cell antigens CD19 and CD20.
The FDA has cleared Cullinan Oncology Inc.'s IND application for CLN-978, a CD19/CD3 T-cell engaging antibody construct with a human serum albumin (HSA) binding domain to increase serum half-life.
Genetically modified derivatives of the chimeric oncolytic virus (OV) CF33 have previously shown cancer selectivity and oncolytic potency against various solid tumors.
Induction of immunogenic cell death (ICD) in cancer has been proposed as a promising strategy to elicit potent adaptive immune responses against tumor-associated antigens, potentially overcoming the limited efficacy of immunotherapy in some patients and tumor types. Since type I interferon (IFN) is a key modulator of ICD in antitumor responses, researchers at the University of California, San Diego are investigating how to expand the IFN effect to promote ICD responses in cancer cells.
While immune checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized oncology, still only 20-30% of patients respond to PD-1/PD-L1 antibody monotherapy. This can be due to a failure of T cells to recognize “cold” tumors (low T-cell infiltrates).