Targeting DNA Damage Response and Immune Checkpoint for Anticancer Therapy.

Deficiency in DNA damage response (DDR) genes leads to impaired DNA repair functions that will induce genomic instability and facilitate cancer development. However, alterations of DDR genes can serve as biomarkers for the selection of suitable patients to receive specific therapeutics, such as immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy. In addition, certain altered DDR genes can be ideal therapeutic targets through adapting the mechanism of synthetic lethality.