Market Stakeholders Take Pit-Stop From The Immune Checkpoint Race

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Chanice Henry
Chanice Henry
04/28/2016

In order to examine the therapy which has been labelled as a game changing addition to oncology, earlier this month industry stakeholders met to explore the evidenced potential of immune checkpoint modulation therapies. The two day conference also saw attendees discuss and formulate tactics to scale the roadblocks encountered by the therapy. 

The immunogenicity of radiotherapies were assessed, looking at the modulation of the immune system against the cancer cells. This session established how solid tumors generate environments that suppress anti tumor immune responses and how radiotherapy can lead to early immunological changes in the tumor. It was noted that efficacy may be enhanced through combination with immunotherapy treatments.

One hurdle discussed was the wide range of potential protein combinations with immune checkpoint inhibitors. This saturation of options has caused many players to join the search to locate a formula for applying the right combined therapy to the right patient at the right time.

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Topics on the agenda included, discoveries and findings from the first patient in a phase 1 clinical trial of immune oncology and alternative mechanisms of pd-1 down-regulation on t-cells in immunotherapy.

Companies represented at the event included Pfizer, Medimmune, Agonox, Apexigen, ImmuneGene and Prima Biomed.

In regards to the event’s value, Mark Coles, Chief Scientific Officer, Simomics said: “My key takehome is that clearly there are a lot of antibodies under development. There are very key differences between [those which] on the surface [are perceived] as very similar antibodies recognizing the same checkpoint target, [but can] potentially lead to different outcomes whether they be in mouse, primate models or in humans. So, understanding that so we have a better idea of how to develop optimal therapeutics going forward I think is going to be very important.”

Geert Mudde, Founder and CSO, OncoQR ML praised the level of science at the event, he noted - “I think is very important that people listen to each other, that they learn from each other and that they meet in an environment where it is pleasant to talk to one another.”

On the growing level of immunotherapies and the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors, Cancer Immunotherapy MarketResearch Report said:  “Either alone or in combination therapies, immunotherapies may produce long-term remissions or even cures for cancers that have been uniformly fatal until very recently. Thus immune-oncology is an important and rapidly emerging field, which deserves the attention it has been receiving in recent years.”

Video footage of April’s event is due to follow shortly. 

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