In the latest research report published in the international journal Cancer Cells, scientists at the University of California and other institutions revealed the molecular mechanism of interferon gamma (IFN- gamma) that guides the treatment response of patients with malignant melanoma. When treated with immune checkpoint blockers, IFN-γ is a signaling molecule that stimulates the immune response and can help activate the host's immune cell function. Researchers pointed out that two main factors that help maintain immune system function can help effectively attack cancer. The level of T cell infiltration in tumors is derived from the release of immune checkpoint blockers and corresponding downstream interferon gamma signals. Conduction block blocks immune checkpoints, which were previously thought to limit the attack on cancer cells and stimulate interferon gamma signal expression, enhance the body's anti-tumor immune response and induce clinical responses through cancer immunotherapy.
According to researcher Antoniibas, when the pre-immune response to cancer is enhanced, immune checkpoint blocking therapy starts to work, and cancer cells become immune checkpoints (CTLA-4 and PD-1). I found that I can pass. It prevents the immune system from attacking cancer cells. Each time the immune checkpoint is released, the increase in immune activation depends on the strength of T cells that produce the immune-activating cytokine interferon gamma. This activated more than 600 genes. , And enhance the body's anti-tumor immune response. Today, scientists have achieved great success in research on cancer immunotherapy, which can use the host's immune system to better attack cancer cells, but researchers hope to continue because few patients will benefit. We believe that we can conduct investigations through research and the use of technologies such as genome sequencing to better understand the impact of immune checkpoint blockade on cancer patients, overcome limitations and expand the scope of treatment to more patients.
In this study, researchers studied 101 melanoma patients who received a combination of anti-PD-1 antibodies nibolumab, nivorumab, and anti-CTLA-4 antibody ipilimumab. Genome sequencing was performed on the RNA and RNA levels of melanoma tissues of these patients to analyze their baseline and biological characteristics during treatment. Ivorumab and ipilimumab are two cancer immunotherapeutics used for pretreatment of participants. During and during treatment, researchers observe changes in the characteristics of tumor tissues in patients with or without clinical response and analyze gene expression. This allows researchers to observe the patient's body over time. While the immune response mechanism changes, we can focus on analyzing how cancer cells initiate gene expression after activating the immune system. The researchers then discovered the interferon gamma gene and pointed out the gene by turning on or off a group of genes. Most cancer cells maintained the ability to express interferon gamma. Finally, the researchers said that they will continue to conduct detailed studies to analyze the interferon gamma gene and use it as a new method to predict patient response to immunotherapy. At the same time, researchers also use combination therapies to induce the spread of new interferon signals and apply them to the treatment of more cancer patients.