A Palette of Cytokines to Measure Anti-Tumor Efficacy of T Cell-Based Therapeutics
Abstract
Cytokines are key molecules within the tumor microenvironment (TME) that can be used as biomarkers to predict the magnitude of anti-tumor immune responses. During immune monitoring, it has been customary to predict outcomes based on the abundance of a single cytokine, in particular IFN-γ or TGF-β, as a readout of ongoing anti-cancer immunity. However, individual cytokines within the TME can exhibit dual opposing roles. For example, both IFN-γ and TGF-β have been associated with pro- and anti-tumor functions. Moreover, cytokines originating from different cellular sources influence the crosstalk between CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, while the array of cytokines expressed by T cells is also instrumental in defining the mechanisms of action and efficacy of treatments. Thus, it becomes increasingly clear that a reliable readout of ongoing immunity within the TME will have to include more than the measurement of a single cytokine. This review focuses on defining a panel of cytokines that could help to reliably predict and analyze the outcomes of T cell-based anti-tumor therapies.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Feb 16, 2021
- Source ID
- 10.3390/cancers13040821
Entities
People
- Diana Saleiro
- Dinesh Jaishankar
- I Caroline Le Poole
- Prathyaya Ramesh
- Rohan Shivde
Organizations
- National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
- United States Department of Defense