Immunotherapy Commons^™

The Multifaceted Role Of Neutrophils In Nsclc In The Era Of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

Student and Faculty Publications

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death in both males and females in the U.S. and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 85%. Although the use of first- or second-line immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) exhibits remarkable clinical benefits, resistance to ICIs develops over time and dampens the efficacy of ICIs in patients. Tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) have an important role in modulating the tumor microenvironment (TME) and tumor immune response. The major challenge in the field is to characterize the TANs in NSCLC TME and understand the link between TAN-related immunosuppression with ICI treatment response. In this review, …

H1n1 Influenza Virus (Swine Flu): A Comprehensive Insight Into Escalating Catch-22 Scenarios, Muhammad Shahzaib, Ehsan Ul Haq

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Introduction: Viruses have always been a major cause of various disastrous pandemics in mankind’s history. H1N1 became a threat when its original strain was first discovered back in the swine flu pandemic of 2009. It became highly catastrophic on a large scale because none of the therapeutic interventions and methodologies that were already present at the time were effective against the virus.

Methods: A vast amount of literature and research is available regarding H1N1 influenza from different reputable sources online. The data was gathered following the contrasting and relative situations of 1918 as well as the 2009 pandemic in mind. …

Clinical Outcomes Of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Diabetes Mellitus At A Comprehensive Cancer Center

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Immune checkpoint inhibitor-associated diabetes mellitus (ICI-DM) is a rare adverse event. In this study, we characterize clinical outcomes of patients with ICI-DM and evaluate survival impact of this complication on melanoma patients.

Research design & methods: We conducted a retrospective review of 76 patients diagnosed with ICI-DM from April 2014 to December 2020.

Results: 68% of patients presented in diabetic ketoacidosis, 16% had readmissions for hyperglycemia, and hypoglycemia occurred in 70% of patients after diagnosis. Development of ICI-DM did not impact overall survival or progression-free survival in melanoma patients.

Conclusion: Development of ICI-DM is associated with long-term insulin dependence …

Antigen Discovery In Multiple Myeloma Using Integrated Long-Read Transcriptomics And Immunopeptidomics, Aya Albittar

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Multiple myeloma (MM) remains an incurable plasma cell malignancy, with relapse driven by persistent chemotherapy-resistant cells and residual disease following treatment. Although immunotherapies have transformed MM care, their success depends on identifying tumor-specific antigens that can be safely targeted. While aberrant genomic structural variation and transcriptional dysregulation are increasingly recognized as sources of novel antigens in MM, the HLA-presented antigenic landscape of MM remains incompletely characterized, particularly for non-canonical, structurally-derived peptides, and long-read transcriptome-informed immunopeptidomic data specific to MM remain scarce.

We established an integrated antigen discovery platform combining long-read RNA sequencing (Iso-Seq) with mass spectrometry-based HLA immunoprecipitation and immunopeptidomics …

The Effects Of Glucocorticoids And Immunosuppressants On Cancer Outcomes In Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy

Faculty and Staff Publications

The emergence of checkpoint inhibitors has created a paradigm shift for the treatment of various malignancies. However, although these therapies are associated with improved survival rates, they also carry the risk of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Moderate to severe irAEs are typically treated with glucocorticoids, sometimes with the addition of immunosuppressants as steroid-sparing therapy. However, it is unclear how glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants may impact cancer survival and the efficacy of immune checkpoint therapy on cancer. In this narrative review, we discuss the effects of glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants including methotrexate, hydroxychloroquine, azathioprine, mycophenolate mofetil, tumor-necrosis factor (TNF)-inhibitors, interleukin-6 inhibitors, interleukin-1 inhibitors, …

Meta-Narrative Review Of Pd-L1 By Immunotherapy On Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Research Methods Poster Session 2023

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive form of subtype breast cancer and there are currently new treatments being discovered such as the combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy. In immunotherapy against triple-negative breast cancer, checkpoint inhibitors like PD-1/PD-L1 treat TNBC by blocking the “off” signal that prevents T-cells from killing cancer cells. As a group, we conducted a meta-narrative review collecting results from primary sources such as clinical trials and human experimental studies to support our research question on how PD-L1 inhibitor treatments compare to other treatments in patients with TNBC. The review included articles searched from Embase, Pubmed, EMBASE, …

Physical Ablative Methods And Cancer Cell Death: Implications For Immunity And Therapies, Claudia Muratori

Bioelectrics Publications

Surgery has traditionally been a cornerstone in cancer treatment, yet its feasibility can be limited by factors such as tumor location and patient health conditions. When surgery is not viable, thermal and pulsed electric field (PEF)-based ablation technologies offer valuable alternatives. Emerging evidence suggests that these approaches not only target tumors effectively but also stimulate antitumor immune responses. In this review, we begin by examining the distinctive features of hyperthermic treatments (radiofrequency and microwave ablation), cryoablation, and PEF-technologies. Subsequently, we discuss the mechanisms of cell death, stress responses, and release of danger signals triggered by these diverse ablation technologies. Finally, …

The Future Of Targeted Therapy For Leiomyosarcoma

Student and Faculty Publications

Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is an aggressive subtype of soft tissue sarcoma that arises from smooth muscle cells, most commonly in the uterus and retroperitoneum. LMS is a heterogeneous disease with diverse clinical and molecular characteristics that have yet to be fully understood. Molecular profiling has uncovered possible targets amenable to treatment, though this has yet to translate into approved targeted therapies in LMS. This review will explore historic and recent findings from molecular profiling, highlight promising avenues of current investigation, and suggest possible future strategies to move toward the goal of molecularly matched treatment of LMS. We focus on targeting the …

B Cells Are Required To Generate Optimal Anti-Melanoma Immunity In Response To Checkpoint Blockade

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Immunotherapies such as checkpoint blockade therapies are known to enhance anti-melanoma CD8+ T cell immunity, but only a fraction of patients treated with these therapies achieve durable immune response and disease control. It may be that CD8+ T cells need help from other immune cells to generate effective and long-lasting anti-tumor immunity or that CD8+ T cells alone are insufficient for complete tumor regression and cure. Melanoma contains significant numbers of B cells; however, the role of B cells in anti-melanoma immunity is controversial. In this study, B16 melanoma mouse models were used to determine the role of B cells …

Society For Immunotherapy Of Cancer (Sitc) Clinical Practice Guideline On Immunotherapy For The Treatment Of Gynecologic Cancer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Advanced gynecologic cancers have historically lacked effective treatment options. Recently, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of cervical cancer and endometrial cancer, offering durable responses for some patients. In addition, many immunotherapy strategies are under investigation for the treatment of earlier stages of disease or in other gynecologic cancers, such as ovarian cancer and rare gynecologic tumors. While the integration of ICIs into the standard of care has improved outcomes for patients, their use requires a nuanced understanding of biomarker testing, treatment selection, patient selection, response evaluation and surveillance, …