Cancer immunotherapy articles from across Nature Portfolio

Resistance of cancers to immune checkpoint blockades is frequently observed. Pancreatic cancer cells are now shown to create a tumor microenvironment that protects them from immunotherapy by overexpression of cytidine deaminase. This leads to increased production of uridine diphosphate that attracts immunosuppressive macrophages.

Monitoring cellular adhesion in blood samples is of fundamental importance, but conventional approaches may not capture the full physiological complexity of microscale flow in living contexts. Here, the authors present motion blur microscopy and machine learning-based image analysis to study cell interactions in microfluidic channels during whole blood flow.

Glycosphingolipids (GSLs) are abnormally expressed in cancer cells. Here, in addition to showing that inhibition of the synthesis of GSLs with eliglustat promotes anti-tumor immune responses in preclinical models, the authors report the results of a phase I trial of eliglustat and anti-PD-1 antibodies for the treatment of advanced cancers.

Immune checkpoint blockade can result in good outcomes in patients with metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), but not those with locally advanced disease. Here, the authors demonstrate that the addition of anti-NKG2A and anti-PD-L1 blockade to ATR inhibition and radiotherapy in the adjuvant setting can induce a robust antitumour immune response in mice.

The transcriptional repressor Zbtb46 is expressed by DCs and endothelial cells. In this study, Choi and colleagues find downregulation of Zbtb46 confers a pro-tumor program in the vasculature and hematopoietic system, by promoting angiogenesis and the development of immunosuppressive myeloid cells.

Resistance of cancers to immune checkpoint blockades is frequently observed. Pancreatic cancer cells are now shown to create a tumor microenvironment that protects them from immunotherapy by overexpression of cytidine deaminase. This leads to increased production of uridine diphosphate that attracts immunosuppressive macrophages.