Unleashing the immune system’s attack dogs

The first drug to improve the survival of people with end-stage melanoma works because of what it doesn’t do: attack tumors directly.

“免疫检查点封锁治疗免疫系统，而不是肿瘤，所以有希望为这种做法跨癌症类型的成功奠定坚实的基础，”詹姆斯艾利森博士，MD安德森椅子说：Immunology和经济学家的2013年生命科学创新奖的获得者。“在MD安德森临床试验探索这种可能性，现在，还会有更多的惊喜。”
Yervoy（易普利姆玛），一首个，其独一无二的药物熄灭转移性黑色素瘤多年在24％的患者，是在Allison的基础科学研究对T细胞的生物学建，免疫系统的攻击犬。188bet体育网址

“There are people on the early clinical trials who remain disease-free up to 12 years later,” Allison notes, an unprecedented response for patients whose melanoma has metastasized to other organs. Metastasis — the spread of cancer — causes 85% of all cancer deaths.

T cells are white blood cells that recognize and bind to antigens — distinctive abnormalities of invading infections or defective cells — and launch a customized attack to destroy and remember them. So why don’t they try to destroy foreign tissue such as cancer cells?

通过发现T细胞如何做他们的工作,Allison found a molecule that turns off the T cell, stopping the immune attack. This led to an antibody drug to block this molecule, or “checkpoint,” freeing T cells to attack. Federal regulators approved ipilimumab in 2011.

根据他的调查结果显著，美国癌症研究协会授予佳佳其第一AACR-CRI劳埃德·J·奥尔德奖癌症免疫于2013年4月，他最近获得了突破奖生物科学与188bet体育网址突破基础。去年十二月，科学杂志命名的癌症immu¬notherapy，由Allison的开拓性治疗方法，其突破2013年的主导领域。

Allison arrived at MD Anderson in November 2012 to build and direct theMoon Shots Program’s immunotherapy platform, which blends expertise, technology and procedures to improve research and patient care.

“Our immunotherapy platform allows us to take the newest immune system-modifying drugs and test them in both preclinical and clinical settings, applying exceptionally strong and deep analyses of the mechanisms involved,” he says. “We expect to attract drug companies to test their most exciting immunotherapies across cancer types here at MD Anderson.”

Clinical trials are underway at the institution for melanoma, lung, breast, gastric and prostate cancers. A phase I trial tests a combination of these drugs for patients with advanced cancers. With patients’ permission to collect tumor and blood samples, investigators will learn more efficiently.

“我们将能够免疫反应跨肿瘤类型和患者之间比较特定免疫药物，使我们能够产生更好的反应，” Padmanee夏尔马，医学博士，博士，副教授泌尿生殖临床肿瘤学和平台的科学主任。

临床试验

免疫检查点封锁药物(CTLA-4杀杀杀我pilimumab, PD-1 blockers, nivolumab and MK-3475) are being tested in 14 clinical trials against:

• Kidney cancer
• Non-small cell lung cancer
• 小细胞肺癌
• 黑色素瘤
• 葡萄膜黑色素瘤（眼）
• Prostate cancer
• 胃癌
• 三阴性乳腺癌
• 晚期癌症（I期临床试验）