Unmarked territory
BMS scans the universe of checkpoint inhibitor biomarkers beyond PD-L1
While the predictive power and standardization of PD-L1 diagnostics is still being hashed out by clinical immuno-oncologists, companies and academics are casting a wide net for better biomarkers to forecast patient responses to checkpoint inhibitors. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. is doubling down on its search with a pair of collaborations announced last month, aimed at mining emerging biology to find markers for reliably matching patients with their best treatment options.
On the whole, anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 monotherapies only work in less than 40% of patients in each indication, which makes identifying which patients will benefit a top priority. The problem extends to other checkpoint inhibitors, including BMS’s anti-CTLA4 mAb Yervoy ipilimumab. ...