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IDO inhibitors move center stage in immuno-oncology

Nature Biotechnology volume 33, pages 321–322 (2015)Cite this article

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IDO is overexpressed by antigen presenting cells in many cancers. “We know that the expression of IDO usually correlates with a significantly poor prognosis,” says Carl Decicco, head of discovery and R&D at BMS. IDO is an inducible enzyme activated by pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interferon-γ. IDO activity leads to a tryptophan deficit, which starves cytotoxic T-cells within the tumor microenvironment. Also, the resulting tryptophan metabolites activate regulatory T-cells, which further suppresses the immune response to the tumor.

Given that most IDO programs are still preclinical, how and where best to deploy IDO inhibitors remain unanswered questions. But what appears likely is that IDO and other checkpoint inhibitors will work best in combination, as tumor cells upregulate multiple immune checkpoint pathways when evading the immune response.

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    Cormac Sheridan

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  1. Cormac Sheridan
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Sheridan, C. IDO inhibitors move center stage in immuno-oncology. Nat Biotechnol 33, 321–322 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0415-321

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