Host: Barnett Mennen, MD

Guest: James L. Gulley, MD, PhD, FACP

About 20% of patients treated with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors respond to therapy. At issue is the existence and action of immunosuppressive cytokine transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) in the tumor microenvironment, which inhibits the normal anti-tumor action of natural killer cells and T cells. TGF-β is involved in many other processes of cancer progression and metastasis such as fibroid cap formation, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and angiogenesis.

This activity will explore new horizons in immune checkpoint inhibition with bispecific bifunctional fusion molecules that pharmacologically target the PD-L1 immunosuppression pathway and serve as a TGFβ trap. Clinicians will gain insights into the rationale for development of such a molecule and its mechanisms of action, and explore preliminary clinical experience in a variety of solid tumor types to improve patient outcomes.

For more episodes in this series, visit ReachMD.com/IO.