Grant: Project Grant

Immunotherapy has revolutionized the clinical management of cancer. The targeting of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), an inhibitory receptor expressed on immune cells, has markedly improved the prognosis of persons with cancer. However, the harsh reality is that this is not a universal cure. Anti-PD-1 therapies were thought to solely strengthen adaptive T lymphocyte anti-tumour activity. However, our data suggest that other immune cell subsets, particularly type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s), respond to anti-PD-1 therapies and contribute to treatment efficacy. Harnessing these ILC2s provides a unique approach to dealing with immunotherapy resistances by complementing current adaptive immune mechanisms with key innate immune cell targeting strategies. To this end, this project aims to examine (i) how ILC2s respond to PD-1 blockade, (ii) the contribution of ILC2s toward treatment efficacy, and iii) whether ILC2s could serve as a predictor of treatment response. Collectively, results from this study will reveal the role and function of ILC2s in anti-PD-1 treatment efficacy. Our long-term goal is to leverage ILC2-targeting strategies for cancer treatment.