Dr. Nambiar on Next Steps with Galectin-1 for Head and Neck Cancer

Dhanya K. Nambiar, PhD, Stanford University, discusses the next steps with targeting galectin-1 with radiation therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with head and neck cancer.

One of the next steps is to determine why some patients do not respond to these drugs, explains Nambiar. Having a better understanding of who is going to benefit from the treatment will improve the design of clinical trials and the treatment plan.

The idea is that this protein can predict clinical responses to immunotherapeutic agents. This has been validated in preclinical trials but the goal is to expand it to other cancers as well, states Nambiar.