Immunotherapy in Head and Neck Cancer.

Head and neck cancer (HNC) is the seventh most common cancer worldwide, with incidence growing every year. While the standard regimen of surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted anti-EGFR therapy, and immune checkpoint inhibition are effective in a subset of patients, therapeutic resistance is a persistent challenge for managing this disease. The use of immunotherapeutic agents to treat HNC has risen over recent years, with advances in immune checkpoint inhibition, targeted therapy with bispecific antibodies, modified cytokine delivery, adoptive cell therapy, and virus-based therapeutics making their way into clinical trials for HNC.

Breast Cancer Immunotherapy: A Team Science Approach.

Immunotherapy has reshaped the treatment landscape of several malignancies, including breast cancer. While historically considered less immunogenic, breast cancer-particularly the triple-negative subtype (TNBC)-has demonstrated responsiveness to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). TNBC is characterized by higher tumor mutational burden, elevated PD-L1 expression, and increased tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, making it a leading focus of immunotherapy development.

Tumor-associated MerTK promotes a pro-inflammatory microenvironment and enhances immune checkpoint inhibitor response in triple-negative breast cancer.

Introduction: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer with no targeted treatment modalities. Currently, combination chemotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy are options for many TNBC patients; however, their efficacy is limited. Understanding what makes TNBCs responsive to immune therapy is crucial for improving patient outcomes.

Dendrimer Conjugates with PD-L1-Binding Peptides Enhance In Vivo Antitumor Immune Response.

Peptides are an emerging class of biologics for cancer immunotherapy; however, their clinical translation is hindered by poor binding kinetics, bioavailability, and short plasma half-life compared to their corresponding antibodies. Nanoparticles present potential solutions but face scale-up difficulties due to complexity. Here, a translatable, modular nanoparticle scaffold is presented for peptide-based immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).

Axl Regulation of NK Cell Activity Creates an Immunosuppressive Tumor Immune Microenvironment in Head and Neck Cancer.

: Head and neck cancer (HNC) evades immune responses by manipulating the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). Tumor-bound Axl has been implicated in promoting an immunosuppressive TIME in HNC, though its precise role remains unclear. Understanding Axl's contribution to immune evasion in HNC could lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets; therapies directed at these targets could be combined with and thereby enhance immunotherapies.

From Bench to Bedside: A Team's Approach to Multidisciplinary Strategies to Combat Therapeutic Resistance in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is diagnosed in more than 71,000 patients each year in the United States, with nearly 16,000 associated deaths. One significant hurdle in the treatment of HNSCC is acquired and intrinsic resistance to existing therapeutic agents. Over the past several decades, the University of Wisconsin has formed a multidisciplinary team to move basic scientific discovery along the translational spectrum to impact the lives of HNSCC patients.

MerTK Drives Proliferation and Metastatic Potential in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is characterized by the absence of the estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and receptor tyrosine kinase HER2 expression. Due to the limited number of FDA-approved targeted therapies for TNBC, there is an ongoing need to understand the molecular underpinnings of TNBC for the development of novel combinatorial treatment strategies. This study evaluated the role of the MerTK receptor tyrosine kinase on proliferation and invasion/metastatic potential in TNBC.

Ethanol disrupts hepatocellular lipophagy by altering Rab5-centric LD-lysosome trafficking.

Background: Previous reports suggest that lipid droplets (LDs) in the hepatocyte can be catabolized by a direct engulfment from nearby endolysosomes (microlipophagy). Further, it is likely that this process is compromised by chronic ethanol (EtOH) exposure leading to hepatic steatosis. This study investigates the hepatocellular machinery supporting microlipophagy and EtOH-induced alterations in this process with a focus on the small, endosome-associated, GTPase Rab5.

Immune Escape Strategies in Head and Neck Cancer: Evade, Resist, Inhibit, Recruit.

Head and neck cancers (HNCs) arise from the mucosal lining of the aerodigestive tract and are often associated with alcohol use, tobacco use, and/or human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Over 600,000 new cases of HNC are diagnosed each year, making it the sixth most common cancer worldwide. Historically, treatments have included surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, and while these treatments are still the backbone of current therapy, several immunotherapies have recently been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in HNC.