Novel [F]FPG-interleukin-2 conjugate for monitoring immune checkpoint therapy with positron emission tomography.

F-interleukin-2 based PET imaging of activated T cells serves as a potential tool for non-invasive response prediction, treatment evaluation, and patient stratification in cancer immune checkpoint therapy. Herein, we report the radiolabelling of interleukin-2 (IL-2) with a novel arginine selective bioconjugation reagent, 4-[F]fluorophenylglyoxal ([F]FPG). Good non-decay corrected bioconjugation efficiencies of 29 ± 4 % (n = 5) were obtained for the [F]FPG-IL-2.

Crosstalk between CD64MHCII macrophages and CD4 T cells drives joint pathology during chikungunya.

Communications between immune cells are essential to ensure appropriate coordination of their activities. Here, we observed the infiltration of activated macrophages into the joint-footpads of chikungunya virus (CHIKV)-infected animals. Large numbers of CD64MHCII and CD64MHCII macrophages were present in the joint-footpad, preceded by the recruitment of their CD11bLy6C inflammatory monocyte precursors.

Imaging Memory T-Cells Stratifies Response to Adjuvant Metformin Combined with αPD-1 Therapy.

The low response rates associated with immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) use has led to a surge in research investigating adjuvant combination strategies in an attempt to enhance efficacy. Repurposing existing drugs as adjuvants accelerates the pace of cancer immune therapy research; however, many combinations exacerbate the immunogenic response elicited by ICIs and can lead to adverse immune-related events. Metformin, a widely used type 2 diabetes drug is an ideal candidate to repurpose as it has a good safety profile and studies suggest that metformin can modulate the tumour microenvironment, promoting a favourable environment for T cell activation but has no direct action on T cell activation on its own.

Imaging Effector Memory T-Cells Predicts Response to PD1-Chemotherapy Combinations in Colon Cancer.

Often, patients fail to respond to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment despite favourable biomarker status. Numerous chemotherapeutic agents have been shown to promote tumour immunogenicity when used in conjunction with ICIs; however, little is known about whether such combination therapies lead to a lasting immune response. Given the potential toxicity of ICI-chemotherapy combinations, identification of biomarkers that accurately predict how individuals respond to specific treatment combinations and whether these responses will be long lasting is of paramount importance.