Immune checkpoints, their control by immunotherapy and ovarian cancer

Therapeutic and Systemic Adverse Events of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis for Clinical Management of NSCLC

Non-small-cell lung cancer takes up the majority of lung carcinoma-caused deaths. It is reported that targeting PD-1/PD-L1, a well-known immune evasion checkpoint, can eradicate tumor. Checkpoint inhibitors, such as monoclonal antibodies, are actively employed in cancer treatment. Thus, this review aimed to assess the therapeutic and toxic effects of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in treatment of NSCLC. So far, 6 monoclonal antibodies blocking PD-1/PD-L1 interaction are identified and used in clinical trials and randomized controlled trials for NSCLC therapy. These antibody-based therapies for NSCLC were collected by using search engine PubMed, and articles about the assessment of adverse events were collected by using Google search. Route of administration and dosage are critical parameters for efficient immunotherapy. Although antibodies can improve overall survival and are expected to be target-specific, they can cause systemic adverse effects in the host. Targeting certain biomarkers can limit the toxicity of adverse effects of the antibody-mediated therapy. Clinical experts with knowledge of adverse effects (AEs) of checkpoint inhibitors can help manage and reduce mortalities associated with antibody-based therapy of NSCLC.

Developing a Bright NIR-II Fluorophore with Fast Renal Excretion and Its Application in Molecular Imaging of Immune Checkpoint PD-L1

Fluorescence imaging in the second near-infrared (NIR-II) window holds impressive advantages of enhanced penetration depth and improved signal-to-noise ratio. Bright NIR-II fluorophores with renal excretion ability and low tissue accumulation are favorable for in vivo molecular imaging applications as they can render the target-mediated molecular imaging process easily distinguishable. Here, a probe (anti-PD-L1-BGP6) comprising a fluorophore (IR-BGP6) covalently bonded to the programmed cell death ligand-1 monoclonal antibody (PD-L1 mAb) for molecular imaging of immune checkpoint PD-L1 (a targeting site upregulated in various tumors for cancer imaging) in the NIR-II window is reported. Through molecular optimization, the bright NIR-II fluorophore IR-BGP6 with fast renal excretion (≈91% excretion in general through urine within the first 10 h postinjection) is developed. The conjugate anti-PD-L1-BGP6 succeeds in profiling PD-L1 expression and realizes efficient noninvasive molecular imaging in vivo, achieving a tumor to normal tissue (T/NT) signal ratio as high as ≈9.5. Compared with the NIR-II fluorophore with high nonspecific tissue accumulation, IR-BGP6 derived PD-L1 imaging significantly enhances the molecular imaging performance, serving as a strong tool for potentially studying underlying mechanism of immunotherapy. The work provides rationales to design renal-excreted NIR-II fluorophores and illustrate their advantages for in vivo molecular imaging.