Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Cancer vaccines can elicit tumor-specific T cells, but sustaining their function via immune checkpoint therapy (ICT) may be required for robust anti-tumor immunity. A new study reveals that neoantigen cancer vaccines synergize with anti-PD-L1 ICT in a preclinical model and provides mechanistic insights into this synergy.
Mitochondrial fission in macrophages is essential for the phagocytosis of tumor cells. Resistance of tumor cells to phagocytosis involves overexpression of GFPT2, an enzyme involved in glutamine metabolism; this results in lower nutrient availability for macrophages to support mitochondrial fission and prevents assembly of the phagocytic machinery.
Llovet and colleagues review recent advances in hepatocellular carcinoma therapy and the clinical workflows for the selection and monitoring of patients undergoing systemic therapies and immunotherapy.
Patients with KRAS-mutant colorectal cancers do not respond to cetuximab, a monoclonal antibody against EGFR. A new proof-of-concept study presents a bispecific antibody with the ability to trigger EGFR degradation in LGR5+ cancer stem cells, and robust anti-tumor activity in KRAS-mutant and wild-type colorectal cancers.
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors have revolutionized the treatment of EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer; however, secondary resistance limits their efficacy, emphasizing the need for newer approaches. A study now shows preclinical development of allosteric EGFR inhibitors that overcome acquired therapy resistance.
Severe side effects limit the therapeutic potential of checkpoint control and immunomodulatory antibodies in immunotherapy of cancer. A new study demonstrates that bispecific antibodies directing the immunostimulatory activity of CD40-specific antibodies on dendritic cell subsets may allow a greater therapeutic window of opportunity.
Cellular communication in the tumor microenvironment is crucial for T cell activation; however, the molecular features of the T cell–antigen-presenting cell interaction are still poorly understood. A new study utilizes RNA sequencing of physically interacting cells to reveal that PD-1+CXCL13+ helper T cells in tumors, primed by dendritic cells, are important for the response to immunotherapy.
Hosein et al. discuss the current therapeutic landscape in pancreatic cancer as well as the translational and clinical implications and the challenges to overcome.
Two of the first patients with cancer treated with chimeric antigen receptor-modified (CAR) T cells have been cancer free for a decade. A new study uses single-cell sequencing technologies to provide a window into the evolution of their CAR T cells over the course of the ten-year remission period.
The mitochondrial arm of the one-carbon pathway, which is essential for nucleotide synthesis, becomes dominant in cancer cells due to overexpression of several enzymes of the pathway, including MTHFD2. A study now reports on a high-affinity inhibitor of MTHFD2 that starves cancer cells of DNA building blocks and shows potential for selective tumor targeting.
Wells and colleagues discuss emerging insights into bystander T cells, including analytical methods, the role of bystander T cell subtypes in tumor immunology and the potential ways that these cells can be leveraged to improve cancer immunotherapy.
Neutrophils may obtain either pro- or anti-tumorigenic phenotypes depending on environmental cues. A new study reports that cancer radiotherapy induces a neutrophilic response associated with tissue repair and leads to enhanced metastatic spread, highlighting a mechanism by which neutrophils promote metastatic tumor growth.
New research shows that comprehensively characterized patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) of breast cancer can be adapted to high-throughput drug screening and can be used as personalized patient avatars to inform clinical decision-making. This work substantially enhances the repertoire and sophistication of PDXs for research into breast cancer.
Although many potential targets have been identified, effective, specific therapies for metastatic cancers are still lacking. Two studies now identify small-molecule inhibitors of MTDH–SND1 interaction that potently suppress breast cancer progression and metastasis via concerted cancer-cell-autonomous effects and immune modulation.
The architecture of tumor collagen greatly influences tumor biology and therapeutic response. Two new studies identify tumor DDR1 as a central player in stromal collagen deposition and organization in the primary tumor and in disseminated tumor cells, resulting in immune exclusion or sustained dormancy, respectively.
A potential translational strategy to treat brain metastases is the induction or maintenance of proliferative dormancy in tumor cells. A new study shows that dormancy in breast cancer brain metastasis is maintained in the perivascular niche by astrocyte endfoot secretion of laminin-211, causing tumor cell membrane sequestration of YAP.
Hwang and colleagues discuss recent advances and current challenges in developing immunotherapies for pediatric brain cancer, as well as the clinical implications of ongoing and completed studies.
