Anti-PD-L1 Immunotherapy Enhances Radiation-induced Abscopal Response in Glioblastoma

Newswise — SAN DIEGO (April 15, 2019) — Winner of the Ronald L. Bittner Award on Brain Tumor Research, Chibawanye Ene, MD, PhD, presented his research, Anti-PD-L1 Immunotherapy Enhances Radiation-induced Abscopal Response in Glioblastoma, during the 2019 American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Annual Scientific Meeting.

Immunotherapy for glioblastoma has been largely unsuccessful, in part, because molecular heterogeneity drives selective elimination of only a subset of tumor cells. It appears that therapeutic success in patients will require achieving an ‘abscopal effect,’ where following focused radiation therapy, non targeted tumor cells are attacked by the immune system. It remains unclear how glioblastoma respond to focused radiation in terms of failure location and whether immunotherapy could amplify the immune response to tumor outside the radiation field.

The result of the study’s experiment show that radiation combined with anti PD L1 therapy induces an immunological response to unirradiated glioblastoma. The researchers are currently optimizing other treatment combinations that could also be readily assessed in phase I human clinical trials.

Author Block: Chibawanye Ene, MD, PhD (Seattle); Shannon Kreuser; Miyeon Jung; Ian Parney; Courtney Crane; Eric Holland

Disclosure: The author reported no conflicts of interest.

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About the 2019 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting
Attended by neurosurgeons, neurosurgical residents, medical students, neuroscience nurses, clinical specialists, physician assistants, allied health professionals and other medical professionals, the AANS Annual Scientific Meeting is the largest gathering of neurosurgeons in the nation, with an emphasis on the field’s latest research and technological advances. The scientific presentations accepted for the 2019 event will represent cutting-edge examples of the incredible developments taking place within the field of neurosurgery. Find additional information about the 2019 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting and the meeting program here.

About the AANS
Founded in 1931 as the Harvey Cushing Society, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) is a scientific and educational association with more than 11,500 members worldwide. The AANS promotes the highest quality of patient care and advances the specialty of neurological surgery. Fellows of the AANS are board-certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or the Mexican Council of Neurological Surgery, A.C. Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of disorders that affect the spinal column, spinal cord, brain, nervous system and peripheral nerves.

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