PD-1

[Cancer Discovery] Scientists described the identification and characterization of INCB086550, a novel, oral, small-molecule PD-L1 inhibitor.

[BioNTech SE] BioNTech SE announced the expansion of its strategic collaboration with Regeneron to advance the company’s FixVac candidate BNT116 in combination with Libtayo®, a PD-1 inhibitor, in advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

[Hepatology] TET2 activation in B cells triggered by oxidative stress from the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) microenvironment promoted IL-10 expression, while the adoptive transfer of Tet2-deficient B cells suppressed HCC progression.

[Merck & Co., Inc.] Merck announced that the Phase III KEYNOTE-716 trial investigating KEYTRUDA, Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy, as adjuvant treatment for patients with resected stage IIB and IIC melanoma met its key secondary endpoint of distant metastasis-free survival at a pre-specified interim analysis.

[Journal of Clinical Investigation] The authors reported that targeting of HIF-1α suppressed PD-L1 expression on tumor cells and tumor-infiltrated myeloid cells, but unexpectedly induced PD-L1 in normal tissues by an IFNγ–dependent mechanism.

[Future Oncology] The authors take stock of the relationship between epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations and PD-1 and its ligand receptor 1expression and summarize the important clinical studies on immunotherapy-inhibitor-based treatment in patients with EGFR-TKI-resistant NSCLC.