Disease targets also act as tumor suppressors

Two studies published in the last week suggest that strategies to treat disease, including inhibiting targeting PD-1 or protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP-1B; PTPN1), can also lead to cancer.

PD-1 inhibitors like Keytruda pembrolizumab from Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) and Opdivo nivolumab from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE:BMY) have been used successfully to treat various forms of cancer by promoting T cell activation and increasing antitumor immunity. However, a study published in Nature from researchers at Technical University Munich and colleagues suggests that PD-1 is a tumor suppressor in T cell lymphomas in which overactivation and proliferation of T cells is at the core of the disease...