SITC 2021 | Increasing MHC Class I expression to potentiate the effects of ICB therapy

Shengqing Gu, PhD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, explains how increasing MHC Class I expression can enhance the effects of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy. Downregulation or loss of MHC Class I expression is a frequent mechanism of immune escape used by cancer cells. Increasing the levels of expression of the MHC complex could sensitize these cells to T-cell mediated cytotoxicity, thereby enhancing the efficacy of ICB therapy. This interview took place during the 36th Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.