T cells are the ‘foot soldiers’ that fight cancer inside the body. Cancer cells can fight the foot soldiers back by pushing a brake on the T cells that will turn them off. This ‘brake’ is a molecule on the surface of T cells called CTLA-4. Until now, most scientists agreed that CTLA-4 was only present on T cells and other cells of the same lineage.
MRV Research
PI3K/AKT Pathway Potential Target for Treating Brain Mets in Melanoma
Activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway may play a role in the development of metastases in melanoma, according to a preclinical study published in Cell Report.1
CHMP Recommends Approval of Nivolumab/Ipilimumab Combo for Melanoma
The combination of ipilimumab (Yervoy) and nivolumab (Opdivo) has received a positive recommendation from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), which suggests that the treatment is likely to gain European approval for patients with advanced melanoma.
HIV Drug Could Re-sensitize Therapy-resistant Melanoma
The expression of the PAX3 and MITF genes in melanoma can cause early, nonmutational, reversible drug resistance. Melanoma tissues that express these genes can then later develop mutational, irreversible drug resistance. The HIV drug nelfinavir can prevent this targeted therapy resistance in melanoma, according to a study published in Cancer Cell.1