Programs & Technology
Targeting cancer immune tolerance and escape
Over time — often decades — cancer cells develop and exploit a combination of hallmark characteristics that include not only cell-intrinsic properties such as immortalization and uncontrolled growth, but also properties identified through the self-serving interactions of transformed cells with their host environments. In recent years leading researchers have added "immune escape" to the list of cancer's hallmark traits. Just as tumors cannot grow beyond narrow limits without securing a blood supply through angiogenesis, neither can they survive and progress without evading immune destruction. Cancer is now understood to be a disease of immunity as well as one of oncogenic transformation. In consequence of this broader understanding, immune escape has emerged as a promising target of opportunity in the war against cancer. NewLink is uniquely positioned in this emerging arena.
Complementary strategies
There are fundamentally two approaches to thwarting immune tolerance and escape. One seeks to stimulate immune effector-cell response to tumors by promoting recognition and immunogenicity of tumor-associated antigens (TAAs). Therapeutic vaccines exemplify this strategy. The other approach aims to foil the hijacking by tumors of immunoregulatory mechanisms that usually function in non-pathological settings either to counter-balance or, in some cases, entirely suppress effector response. The latter approach reflects a recent paradigm-shift in cancer biology that is serving to advance understanding of the disease and also to reveal new molecular targets for cancer therapy. High potential exists to derive synergy from using each of these two approaches in combined regimens with traditional cancer therapies. NewLink is advancing novel product development programs on both fronts. Our HyperAcute immunotherapy platform uniquely combines a range of advantages over other cancer vaccines. And NewLink's research and development program focused on the IDO pathway is the most advanced, and we believe the broadest, aimed that this promising target.