Clinical applications of PD-1-based therapy: a focus on pembrolizumab (MK-3475) in the management of melanoma and other tumor types.

ABSTRACT: Preclinical work has led to an increased understanding of the immunomodulatory mechanisms involved in the regulation of the antitumor response in a variety of tumor types. PD-1 (programmed death 1) appears to be a key checkpoint involved in immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment, even in diseases not previously thought to be sensitive to immune manipulation. More recently, the subsequent clinical development of PD-1-based therapy has resulted in a major breakthrough in the field of oncology. Pembrolizumab, a humanized highly selective IgG4 anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody, was recently approved for the treatment of advanced melanoma based on promising early-phase clinical data. Encouraging results have also been seen in other malignancies, and PD-1-targeted therapies are likely to m

SUBMITTER: Gangadhar TC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4410900 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature