Development of immuno-oncology drugs — from CTLA4 to PD1 to the next generations
Abstract
Since the regulatory approval of ipilimumab in 2011, the field of cancer immunotherapy has been experiencing a renaissance. This success is based on progress in both preclinical and clinical science, including the development of new methods of investigation. Immuno-oncology has become a sub-specialty within oncology owing to its unique science and its potential for substantial and long-term clinical benefit. Immunotherapy agents do not directly attack the tumour but instead mobilize the immune system - this can be achieved through various approaches that utilize adaptive or innate immunity. Therefore, immuno-oncology drug development encompasses a broad range of agents, including antibodies, peptides, proteins, small molecules, adjuvants, cytokines, oncolytic viruses, bi-specific molecules and cellular therapies. This Perspective summarizes the recent history of cancer immunotherapy, including the factors that led to its success, provides an overview of novel drug-development considerations, summarizes three generations of immunotherapies that have been developed since 2011 and, thus, illustrates the breadth of opportunities these new generations of immunotherapies represent.
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- Authors
- Hoos, A.
- Affiliations
- GlaxoSmithKline (United States) (US)
- Corresponding author
- Hoos, Axel
- ORCID
- Hoos, Axel
- Venue
- Nature Reviews Drug Discovery
- Published
- 2016-03-11
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 235-247
- ISSN
- 1474-1776 (ISSN-L)
- 1474-1784
- OpenAlex
- W2296047035
- Cited by
- 601
- References
- 14
- Citations by year
- 2026: 20 · 2025: 37 · 2024: 66 · 2023: 55 · 2022: 54 · 2021: 74 · 2020: 86 · 2019: 66 · 2018: 58 · 2017: 62 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 1
- FWCI
- 6.98
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature Reviews Drug Discovery (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- American Association for Cancer Research
- Sabin Vaccine Institute
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Immunotherapy and Immune Responses
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › T-cell and B-cell Immunology
- Keywords
- cancer immunotherapy, CTLA-4 inhibitors, PD-1 inhibitors, ipilimumab, drug development, history of cancer immunotherapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors, bispecific molecules, oncolytic viruses, cell therapy, cytokines, adjuvants
- MeSH terms
- Ipilimumab, Antibodies, Monoclonal, Antineoplastic Agents, Humans, Immunity, Immunotherapy, Neoplasms, Treatment Outcome, Medication Therapy Management, CTLA-4 Antigen, Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor, Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
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