James Allison on Exciting Immunotherapy Advancements in Melanoma

James Allison, PhD, chair of Immunology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses promising data regarding the use of immunotherapies in melanoma. Allison is particularly excited about a trial, presented at the Society of Melanoma Research Congress, which looked at the combination of PD-L1 inhibitors with a BRAF-targeted agent.

In one setting, there was a nearly 100% response rate, he says. MEK inhibitors, which were previously thought to be unlikley to produce T-cell responses because T cells need that pathway, also have shown promise says Allison.

It has been determined that they are not as destructive to immune responses as previously thought. It may be possible to work out proper dosing levels and really take advantage of MEK inhibitors in treating melanoma effectively, he says.