Intratumoral administration of CD1c (BDCA-1)+ and CD141 (BDCA-3)+ myeloid dendritic cells in combination with talimogene laherparepvec in immune checkpoint blockade refractory advanced melanoma patients: a phase I clinical trial

If you stand too close to the painting for too long observing all the details, you begin to lose sight of what those brush strokes have created. Only when you step back to take in the scene can you have a full understanding and appreciation for how the individual elements come together to create a work of art.

The brilliant Stephen Hawking once said that “The universe does not behave according to our pre-conceived ideas. It continues to surprise us.” The same statement is also true for how we think of the dynamic nature of the cancer universe, in particular the complexity of the tumor immune microenvironment (TiME/TMEs)- an ever-evolving rich milieu comprising of non-malignant immune cells, fibroblasts, adipocytes, extracellular matrix components and neuronal cell types.

Alfred Hitchcock once said, “The more successful the villain, the more successful the picture”, for the immunotherapy picture, that successful villain is M1 macrophages.

It’s clearly a very timely discussion with many recent articles reviewing the complexities of the tumor microenvironment and overall tumor heterogeneity that have been implicated in late-stage clinical failures, underscoring an urgent need for tests that accurately predict response to the growing number of available therapies.

This year, after two long years of convening virtually, it was great to see so many unite in the city of New Orleans for #AACR2022.

GEN: Typically, image analysis tools are greatly influenced by inconsistent staining results and even different techniques used for multiplexing. How does the software used by OracleBio account for inter- and intra-run variability in staining quality? Lorcan. To be honest, we do see staining variability in some sample sets, especially in complex tissues from large clinical

It was a record year of attendance at this year’s 37th annual SITC meeting. Whether reflective of waning new Covid cases from a peak in late January 2022, a new location, or merely the appetite to meet up with colleagues, check out new technologies or be part of important scientific discussions-Boston SITC had it all.

Despite advances in immunotherapy, it’s clear that only a minority of patients respond. Therapies that rely on immune activation, such as checkpoint inhibitors, have been shown to be especially difficult due to the complex and heterogeneous immune escape mechanisms which can develop in each patient. Clearly there’s much anticipation and focus on new contenders for successful combination checkpoint therapy.