SITC cancer immunotherapy resource document: a compass in the land of biomarker discovery

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Siwen Hu-Lieskovan, Huntsman Cancer Institute; Srabani Bhaumik, Roche Tissue Diagnostics; Kavita Dhodapkar, Emory University; Jean-Charles J.B. Grivel, Sidra Medicine; Sumati Gupta, Huntsman Cancer Institute; Brent A. Hanks, Duke University; Sylvia Janetzki, ZellNet Consulting Inc.; Thomas O. Kleen, Immodulon Therapeutics Ltd.; Yoshinobu Koguchi, Providence Cancer Institute; Amanda W. Lund, Oregon Health and Science University; Cristina Maccalli, Sidra Medicine; Yolanda D. Mahnke, FlowKnowHow LLC.; Ruslan D. Novosiadly, Bristol-Myers Squibb; Senthamil R. Selvan, BioMarker Strategies LLC.; Tasha Sims, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.; Yingdong Zhao, National Cancer Institute; Holden T. Maecker, Stanford University
• Language: English
• Date: 2020-01-01
• Publisher: BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jitc-2020-000705
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: JOURNAL FOR IMMUNOTHERAPY OF CANCER
• Volume: 8
• Issue: 2
• Grant/Funding Information: The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
• Keywords: PHASE-III TRIAL; MINIMAL RESIDUAL DISEASE; FLOW-CYTOMETRY; biomarkers; MASS CYTOMETRY; RNA-SEQ DATA; computational biology; IMMUNE-CHECKPOINT BLOCKADE; immunomodulation; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Oncology; antigens; CELL LUNG-CANCER; tumor; REGULATORY T-CELLS; GENE-EXPRESSION DATA; Science & Technology; Immunology; immunotherapy; POSITRON-EMISSION-TOMOGRAPHY
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Oncology; Biology, Genetics; Health Sciences, Immunology

Abstract

Since the publication of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer's (SITC) original cancer immunotherapy biomarkers resource document, there have been remarkable breakthroughs in cancer immunotherapy, in particular the development and approval of immune checkpoint inhibitors, engineered cellular therapies, and tumor vaccines to unleash antitumor immune activity. The most notable feature of these breakthroughs is the achievement of durable clinical responses in some patients, enabling long-term survival. These durable responses have been noted in tumor types that were not previously considered immunotherapy-sensitive, suggesting that all patients with cancer may have the potential to benefit from immunotherapy. However, a persistent challenge in the field is the fact that only a minority of patients respond to immunotherapy, especially those therapies that rely on endogenous immune activation such as checkpoint inhibitors and vaccination due to the complex and heterogeneous immune escape mechanisms which can develop in each patient. Therefore, the development of robust biomarkers for each immunotherapy strategy, enabling rational patient selection and the design of precise combination therapies, is key for the continued success and improvement of immunotherapy. In this document, we summarize and update established biomarkers, guidelines, and regulatory considerations for clinical immune biomarker development, discuss well-known and novel technologies for biomarker discovery and validation, and provide tools and resources that can be used by the biomarker research community to facilitate the continued development of immuno-oncology and aid in the goal of durable responses in all patients.