WCM/EADO 2021 | Combining glycolysis inhibition & CTLA-4 checkpoint blockade

Jedd Wolchok, MD, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, describes recent preclinical research evaluating the relationship between the glycolytic capacity of tumor cells and the effect of CTLA-4 blockade. Through impairing the expression of the lactate dehydrogenase enzyme in a highly glycolytic breast cancer cell line, the team demonstrated that the effect of CTLA-4 blockade was dependent on the availability of glucose in the tumor microenvironment. Their findings suggest that the combination of CTLA-4 blockade with inhibitors of tumor glycolysis may be a promising therapeutic option that warrants further investigation. This interview took place during the 10th World Congress of Melanoma in conjunction with the 17th EADO Congress Interactive Virtual Meeting.