Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Development for Ovarian Cancer

The ovarian cancer immune checkpoint inhibitor development service focuses on enhancing the body's natural ability to fight cancer by targeting immune checkpoints. Alfa Cytology addresses the unique challenges of ovarian cancer by exploring innovative strategies to boost immune responses and circumvent tumor evasion mechanisms.

Introduction to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor

Immune checkpoints in ovarian cancer play a crucial role in enabling cancer cells to evade immune system attacks. By expressing proteins such as programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), these cancer cells can effectively suppress the normal immune response. PD-L1 binds to its receptor, programmed death-1 (PD-1), on T cells, inhibiting their activity and allowing cancer cells to persist and proliferate unchecked within the body. This evasion mechanism provides a protective shield for cancer cells, enabling them to survive and expand.

Fig 1. T cell immune response in OC micro-environment. (BLANC-DURAND F, et al., 2023)

Immune Checkpoints Involved in Ovarian Cancer

Immune checkpoints in ovarian cancer consist of molecules that regulate the immune response, preventing attacks on normal tissues. Key immune checkpoints associated with ovarian cancer include:

Immune Checkpoints	Description
PD-1/PD-L1	Programmed death protein-1 (PD-1) and its ligand PD-L1 are crucial immune checkpoints. PD-1 is located on the surface of immune cells, while PD-L1 is predominantly expressed on the surface of ovarian cancer cells. This pathway inhibits T-cell activity when PD-1 binds to PD-L1, allowing ovarian cancer cells to evade immune detection.
CTLA-4	Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) is another significant immune checkpoint. It controls the immune response by down regulating T cell activation. Blocking CTLA-4 can enhance the immune system's ability to recognize and target ovarian cancer cells.
LAG-3	Lymphocyte-activation gene-3 (LAG-3) is an emerging checkpoint molecule involved in regulating T cell functions and dampening immune responses. Its expression is linked to tumor immune evasion mechanisms.
TIM-3	T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing-3 (TIM-3) is a critical immune checkpoint that, similar to PD-1, affects the immune response by modulating T cell activity.

Our Services

Alfa Cytology focuses on immune checkpoint research in ovarian cancer, exploring how these mechanisms influence cancer progression and treatment. We offer services designed to provide comprehensive insights, optimize immune checkpoint inhibitor use, and ultimately develop more effective treatments for ovarian cancer.

Small Molecule Inhibitors

Developing small molecule therapeutics to combat ovarian cancer involves targeting specific enzymes like indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), which play a crucial role in modulating the immune system.

Antibodies

Offering antibodies to boost the immune attack against ovarian cancer cells by targeting immune checkpoint molecules like PD-1, or PD-L1, blocking their immunosuppressive signals.

Vaccines

Using vaccines to improve the body's immune surveillance against cancer by stimulating an immune response against distinct ovarian cancer antigens.

Targets for Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor

PD-1: By blocking the PD-1 receptor, these inhibitors prevent the suppression of T cell activity, thereby enhancing their ability to target and destroy ovarian cancer cells. Currently, we provide the types of PD-1 inhibitors, which include small molecule drugs and antibodies.
PD-L1: By targeting PD-L1 and preventing its interaction with PD-1, these inhibitors effectively restore the immune response of T cells, enabling them to better combat ovarian cancer cells. Our research team can offer small molecule drugs and antibodies as the main types of inhibitors of PD-L1.
CTLA-4: By inhibiting the CTLA-4 receptor with antibodies or vaccines, the inhibition of T-cell activity can be lifted, thereby enhancing T-cell immune attack against ovarian cancer cells.

With extensive research experience in the field of immune checkpoints in ovarian cancer, Alfa Cytology excels in conducting a variety of research programs. If you have any questions about the services, please feel free to contact us and we look forward to assisting you.

Reference

BLANC-DURAND F, CLEMENCE WEI XIAN L, TAN D S P. Targeting the immune microenvironment for ovarian cancer therapy [J]. Front Immunol, 2023, 14: 1328651.

! For research use only.