This year’s American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting, held virtually in April, highlighted exciting research taking place across the cancer research landscape. Below are several key trends and research findings from this year’s meeting:
- COVID-19 & Cancer
- SARS-CoV-2 and KSHV: Findings from Zhiqiang Qin et al. from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA’s study showed that SARS-CoV-2 proteins and anti-COVID-19 drugs could induce lytic reactivation of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and that there was upregulation of ACE2 in AIDS-KS tissues. These observations indicate that KSHV may increase the risk of SARS-CoV-2 and that SARS-CoV-2 may increase the risk of KSHV-associated cancers.
- Anti-cancer effect mediated by T-cell response
- T-cell responses are more potent in CIS costimulation. Itziar Otano et al. from CIMA-University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain presented a study comparing CD137 costimulation in-cis and in-trans with regard to the TCR-CD3-ligating cells. CD137 costimulation in-cis was far superior in terms of T-cell activation, proliferation, and survival, NF-κB signaling, and induction of cell-cycle and DNA damage repair gene expression.
- Synergistic benefits of combination therapies
- A study conducted by You Qin et al. from the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA demonstrated that HER2-targeted ADC + anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy-induced B-cell activation and differentiation along with the modulation of T cell subsets could confer host anti-HER2 immunity.
- Akash Mitra et al. from University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA reported a translational study using pre- and on-treatment tumor biopsies collected prospectively on a Phase II clinical trial (NCT02815995) evaluating the role of combination anti-PD-L1 and anti-CTLA-4. The study demonstrated the potential for multi-lineage immune cell enrichment and frames the potential molecular features of the TME that may influence response in ICB treated sarcomas.
- Adoptive cell therapy in immuno-oncology research
- A study conducted by Miles H. Linde et al. from Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA established a novel cancer vaccination approach utilizing myeloid lineage reprogramming to directly convert cancer cells into tumor reprogramed-APCs (TR-APCs) with broad implications for clinical immuno-oncology. They observed that in vivo immunological response to TR-APC induction revealed oligoclonal T cell expansion and establishment of cancer-specific immunological memory and in vivo TR-APC induction elicits modest extension to overall survival in immunodeficient hosts.
- CAR-T Therapy Continues to Grab Attention
- Yufei Wang et al. from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA reported preclinical data of anti-CD70/CAIX dual-targeting fine-tuned immune restoring (DFIR) CAR-T cells designed to target clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) tumor cells without on-target off-tumor side effects. The DFIR-CAR T cells secreted immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) monoclonal antibodies at the tumor site and exhibited superior efficacy and safety profiling.
- Engineered T-cell constructs – Quite the buzz
- Amorette Barber et al. from Longwood University, Farmville, VA, USA presented on using gamma delta T cells derived from healthy donors and engineered with a chimeric PD-1 receptor (chPD1-gdT cells) to target PDL-1+ tumor cells. chPD1-gdT cells selectively killed PDL-1+ tumor cells with minimal on-target/off-tumor toxicities and without off-target toxicities and will be further assessed in phase I/II clinical trials.
Adaptive Biotechnologies Exhibitor Theater at AACR
Adaptive Biotechnologies’ immunoSEQ® Technology is an end-to-end immunosequencing solution capable of profiling millions of B- and T-cell receptors at high throughput and providing a quantitative view into the immune repertoire.
Presentation: Utilizing immunosequencing in Cancer Research and Drug Discovery
Watch our Exhibitor Spotlight presentation titled, Utilizing Immunosequencing in Cancer Research and Drug Discovery, presented by Dr. Patrick Raber, PhD, and Dr. Adria Carbo to learn about:
- The principles behind the immunoSEQ Technology
- Key use cases of the immunoSEQ Technology in oncology research
- Applications in pre-clinical and clinical research settings
- An overview of Adaptive’s drug development capabilities, including identifying and characterizing viable therapeutic targets in solid tumors.
WATCH NOW – Utilizing Immunosequencing in Cancer Research & Drug Discovery
immunoSEQ Customer Posters
Explore this subset of posters and presentations demonstrating how immune repertoire profiling with the immunoSEQ Assays is advancing cancer research. New data will demonstrate how immunosequencing at scale and with precision using Adaptive’s immunoSEQ Assay may be used in research to track overall survival and response to novel immmunotherapies, such as checkpoint inhibitors and cancer vaccines, in solid tumors.
T-cell abundance, clonality and disease specific survival in colorectal cancer
Presented by: Joseph Bonner, City of Hope National Medical Center
Session: Infection and Immune Factors Poster Session
Abstract
Germline genetic regulation of the adaptive immune response in colorectal cancer
Presented by: Stephanie L. Schmit, Cleveland Clinic
Session: Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) / Post-GWAS Poster Session
Abstract
Clinical and epidemiologic predictors of clonal immune responses in colorectal cancer
Presented by: Stephen B. Gruber City of Hope National Medical Center
Session: Immune Cells in the Tumor Microenvironment Poster Session
Abstract
You can view our full collection of 600+ publications to learn more about how researchers around the world are using the gold-standard of immunosequencing to drive their discoveries.
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If you would like to learn more about how the immunoSEQ Technology can help you propel your research, contact us today!
Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.
