Tumour microenvironment and immunotherapy: challenges and opportunities

ear Colleagues, Although only a small percentage of patients respond to immunotherapy, however, it has the potential to have long-lasting effects. Primary and secondary resistance to immunotherapy have complicated the clinical outcomes. A variety of factors contribute to immunotherapy resistance. The tumour microenvironment (TME) imposes a major hurdle to invading T-lymphocytes and reduces their function. Several immune checkpoint proteins that interfere with ligand/receptor interactions and hamper T-cell anti-tumour responses have been identified. For many patients with advanced-stage tumors, immunotherapies that block immunological checkpoints have completely changed the way that cancer is treated. The TME's soluble components and metabolic limitations, however, worsen the tumor-infiltrating T-cells' state of functional exhaustion. It is also evident that whereas activated T-cells and tumor cells have similar metabolic changes, cancer cells use different mechanisms to outcompete immune cells and grow freely in the TME. Notwithstanding these obstacles, pharmacologically modifying T-cell metabolism to enhance cancer immunotherapies is beginning to emerge as a promising strategy. Therefore, a complete understanding of tumor microenvironment and its key components are necessary to improve the cancer immunotherapy paradigm. We look forward to receiving research articles and comprehensive reviews related (but not limited) to the following topics: • Cancer Immunotherapy • Immunotherapeutic resistance • Tumor microenvironment • Cellular Metabolism • Immunomodulation • Immune checkpoint inhibition • Hypoxia • Molecular immunology

25/01/2025