10 Must-Read Posts in Immuno-Oncology This Week

At OncoDaily Immuno-Oncology, we bring you this week’s most impactful voices in cancer immunotherapy – from groundbreaking regulatory T cell innovations to novel CAR-T therapy results, and expert insights into the latest clinical trials and strategies. This curated roundup delivers the science, strategy, and stories that are shaping the future of IO, highlighting key advancements in lung cancer treatment, immunotherapy combination strategies, and global collaborations driving progress in the field.

This Week’s Expert Highlights in Immuno-Oncology

Leonardo Ferreira (Assistant Professor at Medical University of South Carolina):

“A new engineered regulatory T cell is born. Chimeric anti-HLA receptor regulatory T cells (CHAR Tregs) inhibit antibody production by B cells from HLA sensitized transplant patients, offering a precise approach to tackle antibody-mediated organ rejection.”

Read the full article.

Vivek Subbiah (Chief, Early-Phase Drug Development at Sarah Cannon Research Institute):

“Treatment of NSCLC after chemoimmunotherapy – are we making headway? | Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology”

Read the full article.

David Tougeron (Professor at Poitiers University Hospital):

“This year 2 PHRC K were obtain by FFCD:

• EPITFOX (Marie Muller): TFOX +/- IO (vs FOLFOX) in suqamous cell carcinoma of œsophagus.
• NIMOGREL (Anthony Turpin): FOLFIRI plus Nimotuzumab (vs FOLFIRI) in small bowel adenocarcinoma

About 15 new FFCD/PRODIGE trials in digestive oncology will start in 2025-2027!”

Liz Burton (Executive Director at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center):

“Honored and excited that the INMC is receiving the SITC 40th Anniversary Collaboration Award!

Since our first meeting in 2016, the INMC has grown into a global, multidisciplinary effort that’s shaped melanoma practice and inspired collaborations across cancer types. This recognition reflects the power of partnership – with over 400 clinician researchers across disciplines, patient advocates, and industry partners all working together to improve outcomes for our patients.

This award is a shared achievement – made possible through the vision, dedication, and teamwork of Drs. Roda Amaria, Paolo A. Ascierto, Professor Dr. Christian Blank, Georgina Long, Alex Menzies, Richard Scolyer, Hussein Tawbi, Michael Tetzlaff, Alexander van Akkooi, and Jennifer Wargo. “

Kovey Kovalan (Founder at LifeAmore):

“A Glioblastoma Virtually Disappeared in 5 Days

In a first-in-human trial at Mass General Cancer Center, a woman with recurrent glioblastoma received a single infusion of a next-generation CAR-T therapy (CARv3-TEAM-E).

Her MRI tells the story:

• Before infusion (Day –7): a large tumor is clearly visible
• After infusion (Day 5): the tumor has virtually vanished

This ‘dual-targeting’ immunotherapy reprograms T-cells to attack glioblastoma’s toughest defenses.

The tumor later returned – a reminder of glioblastoma’s diversity and resistance, and why more durable CAR-T strategies are still needed.

Still, the speed and scale of this response highlight the immense power of immunotherapy.

And here’s the bigger shift: by capturing the immune signals, imaging changes, and genetic clues behind these rapid regressions, we’re not just advancing treatment – we’re building the scientific roadmap for prevention.

• NEJM (Choi et al., 2024)
• Mass General Press Release”

Jia (Jenny) Liu (Translational Lead, Early Phase Drug Development at The Kinghorn Cancer Centre):

“Medical Oncology Group of Australia MOGA25 annual meeting is around the corner next week in Melbourne!

Congrats Miles Andrews and Lavinia Spain on an incredible program ‘beyond the checkpoints’

I am particularly looking forward to:

• co-chairing with James Lynam the joint workforce session between MOGA and American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) on strategies to operationalise wellbeing at an institutional and individual level. International superstars including Ishwaria Subbiah, Fay Hlubocky and AndrewFurness
• Masterclass on novel IO management including cell therapy, biospecifics and TILs. Our phase 1/breast fellow hashtag#SarahChilds will be sharing insights on institutional setup of cell therapy at The Kinghorn Cancer Centre
• Neoadjuvant therapies; shifting paradigms where I will be sharing insights in cutaneous SCC and Neoadjuvant approaches. Many 🇦🇺 colleagues driving translational, interventional and real world evidence in this space!

I also here there may be a debate involving and poetry at the ASM Dinner…
Joshua Hurwitz Betty Zhang James Lynam

See you in Melbourne next week and reach out if you are there

Full program.”

Gerry Hanna (Marie Curie Chair of Clinical Oncology at Trinity College Dublin):

“In this month’s Radiotherapy & Oncology Van Aken, et al describe a framework to assess interactions and safety of targeted therapes or Immunotherapy combinations with Radiotherapy

Pragmatic and biologically informed guidance on how to address.”

Read the full article.

Martin Reck (Chief Physician at LungenClinic Grosshansdorf):

“Just published! Grateful for an amazing cooperation! Thanks to Nikolaj Frost and all the colleagues/friends for their outstanding support and contributions. It has been a long journey, but finally we are there! Thank you!”

Read the full article.

Jarushka Naidoo (Consultant Medical Oncologist at Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre Dublin):

“DUART trial 1yr durva after RT alone for stage III unresectable nsclc ESMO

• 102 patients (defRT=53; palRT=49); PS2 7.9%
• g3+TRAEs within 6m durva, 9.8%
• mPFS 9.2m, mOS 21.1m

Real world question, frailer population than PACIFIC-6.”

Read the full article.

Marco Cascella (Associate Professor of Anesthesia, Intensive Care, and Pain Medicine at the University of Salerno):

“Opioid Use and Immunotherapy Outcomes

Our last study has provided an important contribution to a highly debated topic in oncology (and cancer pain): the relationship between opioid use and survival outcomes in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).

Key finding: Concomitant opioid use does not independently correlate with poor survival outcomes in cancer patients receiving ICIs.

Although derived from a retrospective analysis, this result can help to clarify an issue of great current scientific interest. For years, opioids have been considered a potential confounding factor in immunotherapy, possibly undermining treatment efficacy.

… Notably, this research supports a more evidence-based and balanced view … it is crucial for both clinical practice and future investigations.

A special recognition goes to Prof. Sabbatino Francesco (Team leader), Luigi Liguori (our research star), Prof. Stefano Pepe, Valentina Pagliara, Rosario De Feo, Francesco Perri, Alessandro Ottaiano, Dott.ssa Giovanna Polcaro, Valeria Conti, and Cristina Ferrone, whose contributions and expertise were pivotal in addressing this complex and clinically relevant question.

In our opinion, this is a step forward in disentangling the complex interactions between supportive therapies and cancer immunotherapy, an area where clarity is urgently needed to optimize patient care.

Perhaps the most important aspect of this research is that it stems from a collaborative effort between the Department of Medicine of the Università degli Studi di Salerno, IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori Fondazione G Pascale, Napoli, Italy, and the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.”

Written by Rima Grigoryan, MDc, Assistant Editor of OncoDaily IO