The modern treatment of cancer activates the body's own immune system to attack cancer. These treatments, called immunotherapy, may not be successful if the cancer can recruit bad-acting cells, such as tumor associated macrophages, or TAMs, that create barriers preventing immunotherapies from activating the body's own defenses against the cancer. To find drugs that may help counteract these TAMs, OncoResponse looked to patients who had responded very well to immunotherapy to see if their bodies made factors to block TAMs and helped them fight their cancers. Along with MD Anderson Cancer Center, and using a unique, high-throughput platform, OncoResponse has discovered several factors that may...

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The modern treatment of cancer activates the body's own immune system to attack cancer. These treatments, called immunotherapy, may not be successful if the cancer can recruit bad-acting cells, such as tumor associated macrophages, or TAMs, that create barriers preventing immunotherapies from activating the body's own defenses against the cancer. To find drugs that may help counteract these TAMs, OncoResponse looked to patients who had responded very well to immunotherapy to see if their bodies made factors to block TAMs and helped them fight their cancers. Along with MD Anderson Cancer Center, and using a unique, high-throughput platform, OncoResponse has discovered several factors that may help conquer cancer and fulfill CPRIT's mission. One such factor, OR502, is an antibody that binds a protein, LILRB2, that is expressed by TAMs. OR502 blocks TAMs from shutting down the body's response to cancer, restoring tumor-killing immune activity. OncoResponse has persuasive data in laboratory assays and mouse models that demonstrate OR502 can reverse the suppressive activity of TAMs and reactivate tumor killing by the immune system. This CPRIT grant will support a clinical study to understand how OR502 works in humans and develop it into a powerful new medicine. This will spur innovation and development in Texas and provide cancer cures for patients. Our goal is to develop a drug that will help patients fight cancer with their most powerful ally: their own immune system.

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