EVP & Expert Advisor, Oncology, Head Onc CoE, Lumanity, current/past Scientific/Clinical/Strategic Advisory Boards at ImmunOS, Valo Therapeutics, hC Bioscience, Pearl Bio, Skipper BioMed. And co-founder Literal Latte.
Our recent webinar on the potential of targeting innate immunity in immunotherapy of cancer (https://lnkd.in/eSK5rBew) brought together a diverse group of experts to discuss the latest advancements and challenges in the field. The session began with a quick educational overview of the innate immune system, explaining its crucial role in detecting pathogens and tissue damage through pattern recognition receptors. The distinguished panelists -- Frank Borriello, Bjorn Frendeus, Anne Goubier, Arthur Krieg, Heidi LeBlanc, and Michael J. Newman, Ph.D. -- emphasized that while the adaptive immune system, particularly CD8+ T cells, has been the focus of cancer immunotherapy, the innate immune system offers additional pathways that can be harnessed for better therapeutic outcomes. One of the major themes discussed was the need for combination therapies that activate both innate and adaptive immune responses. Single-target approaches have shown limited success, and panelists highlighted the potential of combining multiple innate immune activators or integrating innate and adaptive strategies to enhance anti-tumor responses. This approach could help overcome resistance seen with current therapies, such as checkpoint inhibitors, and improve outcomes for a broader range of patients. The speakers noted that understanding the interplay between different immune cells and pathways is crucial for developing effective combination therapies. The discussion also touched on the challenges of translating preclinical findings into clinical success, particularly due to species differences in innate immunity. The panelists stressed the importance of human tumor biopsies and advanced technologies like spatial genomics to better understand and optimize immune responses in patients. Panelists debated the merits of systemic versus local administration of innate immune activators. Systemic administration could address metastatic disease by inducing a widespread immune response, while local administration might concentrate immune activation at the tumor site but could potentially lead to systemic effects ("abscopal") through draining lymph nodes. The role of myeloid cells, including dendritic cells and macrophages, was highlighted as crucial in transforming immune deserts (T cell-poor environments) into immune-active ones, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of immunotherapies. The concept of innate immune memory, also known as trained immunity, was discussed as an important mechanism that can provide lasting anti-tumor effects even in the absence of adaptive immune responses like T cells. In conclusion, the experts envisioned a future where innate immune activators could become a standard part of cancer treatment. #immunooncology #immunotherapy #cancer #oncology
Bart Lombardi
5mo
Great summary on a very important topic. Thanks Jeff!
Zachary Sellman
5mo
It was a great webinar!
Darwin Ye
5mo
Great work!
Janet Czachura
5mo
Terrific insights and takeaways Jeff and Viraj! Thanks for the summary.
SVP at Lumanity, Asset & Organizational Strategy Consulting
5moThanks Jeff! Given the past failures and ongoing struggles, it's all too easy to dismiss or despair about being able to harness innate immunity. So I especially appreciated the panelists' reasons to believe, e.g. the fact that innate immunotherapies have been successful outside of the metastatic setting (e.g. BCG for NMIBC works mainly by activating TLR pathways), that innate mechanisms alone have produced tumor regressions in animal models, and the increasingly well mapped biology supporting combination approaches. No one was claiming it was going to be easy; the panelists remained clear-eyed about the challenges. But there is hope that the challenges are surmountable.