Immunotherapy has been a significant breakthrough in cancer treatment in recent years. For instance, the winners of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Medicine developed immunotherapy checkpoint inhibitors targeting PD-1 or CTLA-4. These inhibitors activate patients' immune T-cells to attack and eliminate cancer cells. Such immunotherapeutic antibody drugs have been widely used in today's cancer treatment. However, there are still limitations in the treatment responses for specific types of cancers, necessitating the development of more effective novel immunotherapeutic drugs.
Yang-Ming University's Medical Device Innovation and Translation Center has been collaborating with Elixiron aiming to develop a novel drug tailored for head and neck cancer treatment. This drug combines tumor macrophage-targeting antibodies with interleukin-10 fusion protein. In animal models, it has demonstrated over twice the superior treatment effectiveness compared to existing immunotherapy checkpoint inhibitors. This research was published in Cell Reports Medicine in August 2023
