Another ASCO has wrapped up, and it was a great meeting for melanoma. I have reported on some of the earlier findings, but want to say a word about another drug.
Another ASCO has wrapped up, and it was a great meeting for melanoma. I have reported on some of the earlier findings, but want to say a word about another drug.
We have heard a lot about anti-PD1, and both Merck and BMS have drugs that are very promising. Some companies, including Genentech, are working on anti PD-L-1. This is the counterpart to PD-1. T-cells express PD-1 and when tumor cells have PD-L-1 the two compounds connect. This connection turns off the T-cells and prevents the immune system from attacking the tumor. The PD-1 drugs shut down the receptor on the T-cell. The PD-L-1 drugs shut down the receptor on the tumor.
PD-L-1 also interacts with a second control mechanism on T-cells called B,1,7. By blocking PD-L-1 you turn off two different braking mechanisms in the T-cell. Early studies in multiple tumors show positive responses and very few side effects. Genentech is trying to decide what the next step is, and what cancers to use in subsequent trials. Since 40% of melanomas have PD-L-1 let's hope they choose to pursue melanoma as an area for further study!
I also met with people from Caris, a company that does genetic profiling of tumors. The idea is to determine what mutations are driving the tumor and come up with a treatment plan based on those mutations. This is the promise of personalized medicine. A lot remains to be done, but they have had some real wins with this approach.
Tim–MRF
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