For some cancers, response rates with immunotherapy will reach 100% within 5 years, said James P. Allison, MD. Achieving that level of response will require tailoring treatment to each patient’s specific cancer through the identification of new biomarkers, and the goal is within reach, he said.
Allison was taking part in a roundtable discussion at the 2018 International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference.
Developing this level of response will require personalised immunotherapy. That, in turn, will require further identification and development of biomarkers to distinguish therapeutic targets. Bhardwaj said some biomarkers, such as PD-L1, already exist, but the field needs more biomarkers if the goal is to administer truly individualised treatments.
Oxford Biodynamics PLC (LON:OBD) was spun out from Oxford University in June 2007 with the aim of translating fundamental scientific advances into a commercialised platform technology and a new generation of biomarkers for cancer and other diseases including ALS.