New Publication by MRV Researchers

MRV Researchers and colleagues have recently published in the Frontiers in Immunology Journal.

The new publication is titled:

PDCD1 Polymorphisms May Predict Response to Anti-PD-1 Blockade in Patients With Metastatic Melanoma

Associate Professor Andreas Behren explains what the project is about:
In a collaborative research project scientists and clinicians from Melbourne and Sydney have looked at variations (single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs) in the gene encoding the immune checkpoint molecule PD-1 in 115 melanoma patients treated with immunotherapy (anti-PD-1) targeting this molecule). Led by the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, the team discovered that a particular SNP (PD1.3) seemed to be more often present in patients that had complete responses to the therapy, and that the progression-free survival of these patients was improved when compared to patients without the variation. Interestingly, the SNPs at this genomic location have previously been associated with autoimmune conditions.

While the study had a limited patient number only and needs to be validated, it generates an interesting hypothesis: genetic variants of genes either directly associated to cancer immunity, or
genes and pathways related to autoimmune conditions may influence the response to immunotherapies in cancer patients. Future and larger studies in this area will hopefully further our understanding of the intimate relationship of autoimmunity and anti-cancer immunity and lead to the discovery of tools to predict outcome to immunotherapy, or even to the identification of novel targets in previously underappreciated pathways involved in the regulation of immunity. This research was supported by the MRV with the provision of samples from melanoma patients.

Citation: Parakh S, Musafer A, Paessler S, Witkowski T, Suen CSNLW, Tutuka CSA, Carlino MS, Menzies AM, Scolyer RA, Cebon J, Dobrovic A, Long GV, Klein O and Behren A (2021) PDCD1 Polymorphisms May Predict Response to Anti-PD-1 Blockade in Patients With Metastatic Melanoma. Front. Immunol. 12:672521. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.672521

Received: 25 February 2021; Accepted: 21 May 2021;
Published: 09 June 2021.