Anti-PD-1, anti-PDL-1, anti-CTLA-4, ... are antibodies, protein complexes were used by the immune system to detect and neutralize pathogens specifically. Antibodies are secreted by cells derived from B lymphocytes These molecules present many challenges for our future practice whatsoever to better assess the response in treatment or anticipate and treat immune-mediated toxicities, cancers.
Tumors develop because they evade the immune system. Indeed, cancer cells use the molecules as PD-1 or PD-L1 protein to inactivate T cells, responsible for eliminating normally. Scientists have long worked with the idea of stimulating the body's defenses against tumors.
Your immune system has a double role with cancer: on one side he tries to eliminate tumor cells while on the other it shapes the immunogenicity of the tumor. The tumor cell can divert her immune system to easily escape by blocking the activation of the T lymphocytes.There are new cancer immunotherapies were developed to identify modulators of lymphocyte activation: immunological checkpoints. These new immunotherapies show promising results with long lasting objective responses in some patients. Scientific researchs shows interesting results in certain cancers such as with anti PD-1, anti-PD-L1 and anti-CTLA-4.
Recent discoveries even suggest that immunotherapy could be generalized to an ever-larger cancers. They called the anti-PD-1 molecule of the year in 2012 antibody. In a project led by the pharmaceutical company "Bristol-Myers Squibb" clinical trial, this interest really seems to work.
Many immunological checkpoints have been discovered that may constitute new therapeutic targets. Also, various studies to come will help us to identify predictive markers of response but also to integrate these novel immunotherapies in our therapeutic strategy.
