Exploring PD-L1 Expression in Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma

In a recent study from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, researchers tested whether or not mesothelioma cancer cells express high amounts of PD-L1, a protein that is abundantly present on some types of cancer cells. The PD-L1 protein is an inhibitory molecule that binds to the PD-1 receptor on T-cells, which are cells known to have the ability to recognize and destroy cancer cells in the body. Results of the work are being shared as a poster presentation at the Society of Surgical Oncology 2021 International Conference on Surgical Cancer Care virtual meeting.

Researchers identify mechanism underlying cancer cells’ immune evasion

Researchers in China have discovered how brain cancer cells increase production of a key protein that allows them to evade the body’s immune system. The study, which will be published August 27 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), suggests that targeting this cellular pathway could help treat the deadly brain cancer glioblastoma, as well as other cancers that are resistant to current forms of immunotherapy.

Multimodal Genomic Analyses Predict Response to Immunotherapy in Lung Cancer Patients

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, the Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have developed an integrated genomic approach that potentially could help physicians predict which patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer will respond to therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors.