What is Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy?

The immune response is regulated at certain so-called immunological checkpoints, which normally help control the immune system to prevent overreactions. However, tumors often exploit these control mechanisms to evade attack by the immune system. Checkpoint inhibitors suppress this suppressive mechanism by blocking specific checkpoints that would otherwise prevent the immune system from attacking cancer cells.

An effective anti-tumor immune response requires both the inhibition of suppressive signals—such as through checkpoint blockade—and the activation of tumor-specific, ideally cytotoxic immune cells that can attack and destroy the tumor. This can be achieved, for example, through specific cellular immunotherapy using dendritic cells.

Therefore, combining dendritic cell therapy with checkpoint inhibitor therapy makes sense in many cases.

At PGZ Immune, we focus on checkpoint inhibitor therapy using reduced dosages (typically 0.5–1 mg/kg of body weight). The goal of this approach is to activate the immune system effectively. A publication by Jiang et al. also showed that reduced doses of checkpoint inhibitors can lead to nearly identical clinical outcomes (Jiang et al.: Dosing Regimens of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: Attempts at Lower Dose, Less Frequency, Shorter Course. Frontiers in Oncology, 2022, Volume 12, Article 906251).

How is Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy administered?

Checkpoint inhibitors are a class of immunotherapies administered either by intravenous infusion (IV) or subcutaneous injection.

The treatment process includes:

• Initial Examination & Evaluation: A thorough analysis of the patient’s medical history and immune status.
• Ongoing Monitoring: Patients are closely monitored to track progress and adjust the dosage or frequency of the therapy as needed.

Which conditions can be treated with low-dose Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy?

• Cancer: In principle, checkpoint inhibitor therapy can be partially successful with all solid tumors. It has proven particularly effective in cases of melanoma, lung cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, head and neck cancers, as well as certain types of gastrointestinal tumors.
• Neurodegenerative Diseases: Scientists are currently exploring whether this therapy might also be beneficial for conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

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