Novel Immune Checkpoint Targets in Cancer and Chronic Infection

Dear Colleagues,

Co-regulatory checkpoints consisting of ligand–receptor interactions seem to be one of the most important regulators for immune cell function. Hence, dysregulated immune checkpoint expression represents a hallmark of immune evasion in cancer and chronic infections. Blocking antibodies against CTLA4 and the PD-1 axis, the most prominent immune checkpoint members have revolutionized the field of cancer immunotherapy within the last decade. However, a variety of different immune checkpoint molecules including TIGIT, TIM-3 or LAG-3 have been identified as promising therapeutic targets in preclinical studies as well, resulting in the initiation of a number of clinical trials.

Most important features of immune evasion seem to be the co-expression of multiple inhibitory receptors, metabolic remodeling, or transcriptional reprograming, mainly driven by recurrent stimulation. These complex interactions within the immune microenvironment play essential roles in virus chronification, tumor initiation, progression, or metastasis, and response to therapies. Therefore, especially combinatorial therapeutic approaches seem to be promising.

This Special Issue of Biology aims to present research articles and reviews that cover the role of novel targets in the context of co-expression with further co-regulatory receptors, with metabolic targets, or with the transcriptional regulation in different immune cell populations. Furthermore, this Special Issue aims to promote novel combinatorial antibody-based immunotherapeutic strategies to improve immune-cell mediated cytotoxicity in cancer or chronic infections. A special focus will be placed on immune checkpoints that have not been approved as clinical targets but that are currently under clinical investigation. All scientists working in these fields are cordially invited to submit their manuscripts. We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Jasmin Wellbrock
Dr. Franziska Brauneck
Guest Editors

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• Cancer
• Chronic infection
• Co-regulatory checkpoints
• Co-expression
• Transcription factors
• Metabolic remodeling
• Exhaustion
• T Cells
• NK cells
• Antibody-based immuno-therapeutic strategies