Cancer immunotherapy: immune checkpoint pathway
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Immunotherapy research is trying to overcome cancer’s ability to resist immune responses and to stimulate the body's own mechanisms to remain effective against cancer.
In order to maintain tight regulation over the body's immune response, various immune checkpoint steps are put in place. Under normal conditions, a perfect balance of T cell activation and inhibition pathways are used to prevent autoimmunity or immune deficiency.
Part of the immune system's normal function is to seek out and kill cancerous cells. This is known as the cancer immunity cycle. However, cancer cells are able to adapt to this and will use the immune system's own checkpoint steps against it. They achieve this by overexpressing inhibitory T cell receptors on their own cell surface, enabling them to inhibit the anti-tumor immune response.
This free pathway will provide you with an overview of the cancer immunity cycle and how immunotherapy can be a powerful tool in the fight against cancer. Learn more about this cycle here and start on your way to the next immunotherapy breakthrough.
