Recent advances in understanding of fundamental immunology have created new insights into the dynamic interactions between tumors and the immune system. This includes new understanding of T- and B-cell interaction, immune inhibitory mechanisms including the biology of T regulatory cells, myeloid suppressor cells, and dendritic cell subsets. Enhanced understanding of mechanisms underlying T-cell anergy such as arginine deprivation, immunosuppressive cytokines, defective innate and interferon response pathways, and NKG2D downregulation have all provided new insight into suppression of anti-tumor immunity and tumor evasion. In addition to emerging understanding of tumor evasion, new immune targets such as CTLA4 blockade, NK stimulatory receptors, manipulation of the antigen processing and presentation, cytokine and costimulatory responses all provide new possibilities for enhancing anti-tumor immunity even in tumors previously felt to be resistant to immune attack. Several of these strategies have already been realized in the clinic. The volume will explore evolving paradigms in antigen presentation, dendritic cell biology, the innate response and immunosuppressive mechanisms, and emerging strategies for manipulation of the immune system for therapeutic benefit that have realized success in neuroblastoma, leukemia, melanoma, lung cancer, and allogeneic transplantation. Early successes as well as failures will be highlighted to provide a snapshot of the state of clinical immunotherapy with an eye to future possibilities such as combination therapies, adoptive T-cell transfer, and the retargeting of immune cells via T-cell receptor engineering.

Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy – Molecular Methods, Volume 629, the latest release in the Methods in Enzymology series, continues the legacy of this premier serial with quality chapters authored by leaders in the field. Chapters in this release include Droplet digital PCR for measuring circulating tumor-derived DNA, Detection and quantification of cytosolic DNA, Methods to detect endogenous dsRNA induction and recognition, Quantification of eIF2alpha phosphorylation during immunogenic cell death, Assessment of annexin A1 release during immunogenic cell death, Luciferase-assisted detection of extracellular ATP in the course of ICD, The P2X7 receptor: structure and function, and much more. - Contains the authority of authors who are leaders in their field - Provides a comprehensive source on new methods and research in enzymology

Understanding the immunology of different cancers has led to great advances in developing cancer immunotherapies which are successfully used in generating effective anti-tumour immune responses. Head and neck cancers are no exception and various immunotherapies are now under study for the treatment of this diverse group of diseases. The articles in in this eBook provide a range of topics that highlight some of the latest advances in head and neck cancer immunology and immunotherapy. The authors of these articles provide their unique insight and expertise and suggest future directions for translational clinical research.

The interplay between tumors and their immunologic microenvironment is complex, difficult to decipher, but its understanding is of seminal importance for the development of novel prognostic markers and therapeutic strategies. The present review discusses tumor-immune interactions in several human cancers that illustrate various aspects of this complexity and proposes an integrated scheme of the impact of local immune reactions on clinical outcome. Current active immunotherapy trials have shown durable tumor regressions in a fraction of patients. However, clinical efficacy of current vaccines is limited, possibly because tumors skew the immune system by means of myeloid-derived suppressor cells, inflammatory type 2 T cells and regulatory T cells (Tregs), all of which prevent the generation of effector cells. To improve the clinical efficacy of cancer vaccines in patients with metastatic disease, we need to design novel and improved strategies that can boost adaptive immunity to cancer, help overcome Tregs and allow the breakdown of the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.

Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy - Cellular Methods Part B, Volume 632, the latest release in the Methods in Enzymology series, continues the legacy of this premier serial with quality chapters authored by leaders in the field. Topics covered include Quantitation of calreticulin exposure associated with immunogenic cell death, Side-by-side comparisons of flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry for detection of calreticulin exposure in the course of immunogenic cell death, Quantitative determination of phagocytosis by bone marrow-derived dendritic cells via imaging flow cytometry, Cytofluorometric assessment of dendritic cell-mediated uptake of cancer cell apoptotic bodies, Methods to assess DC-dependent priming of T cell responses by dying cells, and more. Contains content written by authorities in the field Provides a comprehensive view on the topics covered Includes a high level of detail

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) such as anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 antibodies are highly effective against many types of cancer, yet durable responses are limited to a subset of patients highlighting the need for the development of effective biomarkers to predict prognosis and efficacy. Currently, PD-L1 expression in tumors, microsatellite instability (MSI) or mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR), and tumor mutation burden (TMB) are known as biomarkers for cancer immunotherapy but are not sufficient. Combination therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors and chemotherapy or radiation therapy, as well as diverse therapies targeting intra-tumoral regulatory T cells have been described, but there are currently no unifying biomarkers that are applicable to clinically, a simple, fast, non-invasive method that can yield biomarkers of disease with a minimal adverse effect on patients is desirable. Recent findings suggest that the balancing of effector T cells and regulatory cells in the tumor microenvironment is associated with cancer progression and prognosis. Cells and molecules involved in the control of cancer are complex, and a better understanding of the tumor immune environment will lead to the development of truly effective biomarkers. This topic will focus on novel biomarkers that predict efficacy, prognosis, or the development of adverse events in various cancer immunotherapies, and extensive basic research leading to the development of biomarkers. Manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by robust and relevant validation (clinical cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this topic. We expect a wide range of research, not only in serology, genetics, and immunocytochemistry but also in bacterial flora. Research on the development of novel assays and bioinformatics methods is also welcome: • Non-invasive biomarkers for cancer immunotherapy. • Bulk RNA-seq, scRNA-seq, or Rep-seq methods. • Correlation of tumor immune cells with gut microbiota in tumor immunotherapy. • Impact of Teff and Treg balance in the tumor microenvironment on tumor prognosis. • Inflammatory and immune signatures associated with drug response versus resistance in cancer.

Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Integrated Methods - Part A, Volume 635 in the Methods in Enzymology series, continues the legacy of this premier serial with quality chapters authored by leaders in the field. Specific chapters to this release include Deconvolution of the immunological contexture of mouse tumors with multiplexed immunohistochemistry, High-dimensional multiplexed immunohistochemical characterization of immune contexture in human cancers, Multiplex assay by IHC for melanoma tumor microenvironment evaluation, Characterization of the tumor immune microenvironment by multispectral image analysis of multiplex immunofluorescence images, Phenotyping of immune cells in situ using multispectral imaging quantification, and much more. - Authored by leaders in the field of enzymology - Provides a comprehensiveness level of discussion on the field - Presents a highly specialized group of topics that delve deep into new updates and future prospects

Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy - Cellular Methods Part A, Volume 631, the latest release in the Methods in Enzymology series, continues the legacy of this premier serial with quality chapters authored by leaders in the field. New chapters include Detection of intracellular cytokine production by T cells with flow cytometry, High-throughput identification of human antigen-specific CD8+ and CD4+ T cells using soluble pMHC multimers, In vitro assays for effector T cell functions and activity of immunostimulatory antibodies, Ex vivo energetic profiling of tumor cells and T cells from mouse models and human samples, A cytofluorimetric assay to evaluate T cell polyfunctionality, and much more. Contains the authority of authors who are leaders in their field Provides a comprehensive source on new methods and research in enzymology

Tumor immunology and immunotherapy provides a comprehensive account of cancer immunity and immunotherapy. Examining recent results, current areas of interest and the specific issues that are affecting the research and development of vaccines, this book provides insight into how these problems may be overcome as viewed by leaders in the field.