Immunotherapy

Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai report an experimental CAR T-cell strategy that targets tumor-associated macrophages—the immune cells many tumors use as a protective shield—rather than attacking cancer cells directly. In preclinical mouse models of metastatic ovarian and lung cancer, the approach reshaped the tumor microenvironment and extended survival, with some animals showing complete tumor clearance, according to a study published online January 22 in Cancer Cell.

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A small clinical trial shows that faecal microbiota transplants can improve outcomes for kidney cancer patients on immunotherapy drugs. Participants receiving transplants experienced longer cancer stability and greater tumor shrinkage compared to those given placebos. The approach targets the gut microbiome to boost immune responses against tumors.

Researchers at The Rockefeller University and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center have revealed a hidden spring‑like motion in the T cell receptor that helps trigger immune responses. Observed with cryo‑electron microscopy in a native‑like membrane environment, the mechanism may help explain why some T cell–based immunotherapies succeed while others fall short, and could inform efforts to make such treatments work for more patients.

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Researchers at Karolinska Institutet report that using a reduced dose of ipilimumab together with nivolumab in immunotherapy for advanced malignant melanoma was associated with better tumor control and fewer serious side effects than the traditional full-dose combination. In a real-world study of nearly 400 patients with advanced, inoperable skin cancer, response rates and survival times were higher in the lower-dose group, according to results published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

An international team has identified an early 'Big Bang' moment in colorectal (bowel) cancer when tumor cells first evade immune surveillance, a finding that could refine who benefits from immunotherapy. The work, funded by Cancer Research UK and the Wellcome Trust, analyzed samples from 29 patients and was published in Nature Genetics on November 5, 2025.

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A large retrospective study from the University of Florida and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, published in Nature, reports that patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer or metastatic melanoma lived significantly longer if they received a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 mRNA shot within 100 days of starting immune checkpoint inhibitors. The authors stress the findings are observational and will require confirmation in randomized trials.