Immunotherapy: Exploring Therapies, Mechanisms, and Future Trends

This report delves into the multifaceted world of immunotherapy, providing a comprehensive overview of its principles, various types, and mechanisms of action. It begins with an introduction to immunotherapy, explaining its fundamental role in treating diseases by modulating the immune system. The report then meticulously examines different types of immunotherapy, including monoclonal antibodies, non-specific immunotherapies, oncolytic virus therapy, T-cell therapy, and cancer vaccines. Each therapy is described in detail, highlighting its specific mechanisms and how it interacts with the immune system to combat diseases, particularly cancer. The report provides examples of immunotherapies like Bacille Calmette-Guérin, interferons, interleukins, Imiquimod, and Lenalidomide. Furthermore, the report discusses newer developments in the field, such as newer monoclonal antibodies, checkpoint inhibitors, and other emerging approaches. The report concludes by summarizing the key findings and emphasizing the importance of immunotherapy in modern healthcare, especially in the treatment of cancer and other diseases. It also includes references from primary literature, adhering to APA 6th edition formatting.

Running Head: Immunotherapy 0
Immunotherapy
September 12
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Immunotherapy 1
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Immunotherapy................................................................................................................................2
Example of Immunotherapy............................................................................................................5
Newer Development of Immunotherapy.........................................................................................6
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................8

Immunotherapy 2
Introduction
The assignment is based upon the process of Immunotherapy; in the report, the brief
description of the Immunotherapy will be described. The main aim of the report is to provide the
brief details associated with the Immunotherapy in which the types of therapies will be included.
This report will also include the reasons due to which the immune system of any individual gets
affected. The reason for choosing the topic is to provide awareness about the immune system and
need to maintain the immune system by the help of this section the importance of
immunotherapy can be understood. This report will include the types of immunotherapy and
their impact on the human body will be described. The types of thee immunotherapy create an
interaction with the immune system that would be also covered in the report. This assignment
will also focus on the examples of the immunotherapy as well as the development in the
immunotherapies will be discussed.
Immunotherapy
The process through which any disease is treated either by increasing the ability or by
suppressing the immune system is known as Immunotherapy. The method which is designed to
expand the response of immune therapy is termed as activation immunotherapies while when the
response of the immune system is reduced then it is termed as suppression immunotherapies. In
immunotherapy the substances which are made in the laboratory used to improve as well as
recover the function of immune system (Riley, June, Langer, & Mitchell, 2019). In recent years
the immunotherapy has become more likely process for the treatment of cancer. In the process of
immunotherapy specific cells are targeted to improve the immune system. There are different
methods through which the treatment of immunotherapy is provided which are mentioned below:
 Intravenous: When the therapy is provided directly through the veins in the human body.
 Oral: In this, the therapy is provided by the pills or capsules which patients have to
swallow.
 Topical: In this process, the immunotherapy is provided by applying the cream on skin
which has to rub, this process is basically used for skin cancer.
 Intravesical: In this process, the treatment is provided directly into the bladder.
This treatment can be provided individually as well as combining with other treatments too.
The length of the treatment for immunotherapy is totally depended upon the patient it varies

Immunotherapy 3
according to them and their condition (Liu, & Aguzzi, 2019). The types of Immunotherapy are
defined below:
i. Monoclonal Antibodies and tumor-agnostic therapies
ii. Non-specific immunotherapies
iii. Oncolytic Virus therapy
iv. T-cell therapy
v. Cancer Vaccines
Monoclonal Antibodies and tumor-agnostic therapies: In human body when anything
harmful is observed the body starts to produce antibodies; these are the proteins which fights
with the type of infection entered in the body. The therapy is developed in the laboratory which
is used in different ways. In this therapy to block or to stop the abnormal protein which is
present in the cancer cell the monoclonal therapy is targeted in an infected body (Dougan,
Dranoff, & Dougan, 2019). These monoclonal antibodies act as flag that helps to identify the
infected cells and also to destroy them. The pathways which are critical to the immune system’s
ability for controlling the growth of cancer cells are PD-1/PD-L1 and CLA-4 however, these
pathways also known as a checkpoint of immune. The cancer cells use these pathways to escape
from the immune system. The immune system blocks these pathways for cancer with their
specific antibody ability which is also known as immune checkpoint inhibitors. Example of the
immune checkpoint inhibitors are mentioned below:
i. Ipilimumab (Yervoy)
ii. Nivolumab (Opdivo)
iii. Pembrolizumab (Keytruda)
iv. Atezolizumab (Tecentiq)
v. Avelumab (Bavencio)
vi. Durvalumab (Imfinzi)
Non-Specific Immunotherapies: By the help of Non-specific Immunotherapies the
immune system can destroy the cancer cells as similar as monoclonal antibodies immunotherapy.
This therapy can be given to the patient at the same time as the cancer treatment or after the
treatment of cancer like chemotherapy or radiation therapy (Engel-Nitz, Ryan, Johnson, &
Bunner, 2019).

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Oncolytic Virus Therapy: This therapy is used to kill the cancer cells which are
genetically modified. In this therapy virus is injected inside the infected body then the virus
enters in cancer cells and starts to develop its own copies due to which the cells get burst and
dies, once the cancer cells die they start to trigger specific substances which are known as
antigens. Due to these antigens the immune system of the body gets activates and for all cancer
cells and cells which are present in the body consisting the same antigens. By Food and Drug
administration Unites States in 2015 the oncolytic virus therapy was approved as the first therapy
for the treatment of melanoma. The virus which is used in this treatment is known as Talimogene
laherparepvec (lmlygic) or T-VEC; these viruses are genetically modified from herpes simplex
virus which is responsible for the cold sores. The oncolytic virus is injected inside the body of
the patients in those areas from where the surgeon cannot remove. The side effects of the therapy
are fatigue, fever, chills, nausea, flu-like symptoms, and pain at the site of injection (Ferrara,
Caramella, & Besse, 2019).
T-Cell Therapy: These are the cells which have the ability to fight against the infection.
In this therapy from the blood of the patient some T-cells are removed and by including the
protein which is known as receptors the cells get changed (Murphy, & Longo, 2019). These cells
then inserted again in the body of the patient and the ability to recognize developed through the
change in the cells starts destroying the cancer cells. This therapy is defined as a Chimeric
Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy (Rose, 2019).
Cancer Vaccines: It is another method which is used to provide help human body for
fighting with infections. The vaccine helps the immune system to identify the antigens by
exposing them it triggers the immune system to fight with antigens. Basically, there are two
types of cancer vaccines are available which are described as prevention vaccines and treatment
vaccines. However, these are not used in every type of immunotherapy (DeNardo, & Ruffell,
2019).
Example of Immunotherapy
In some immunotherapy treatments, cells are not targeted directly; in such a system by
increasing the immune system to fight with the infected cells or with the Antigens the treatment
is provided. Examples of immunotherapy treatment are defined below:

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 Bacille Calmette-Guérin: It is the vaccine which is used for the treatment of Tuberculosis. The
countries where leprosy or the tuberculosis is common diseases the dose of BCG vaccine is
provided to the newborn babies or at the close to time of birth. This vaccine is also effective for
infection of Buruli Ulcer and other non-tuberculosis mycobacteria. In 1921 the BCG vaccines
were used for the very first time and it is also considered as the most essential medicines in list
of World Health Organization.
 Interferons: This is used to provide help to the immune system for fighting with cancer
and to reduce the growth of cancer cells. The interferon which is developed in the
laboratory known as interferon-alpha which is commonly used in the treatment of cancer.
There are some side-effects as well which can be observed after the treatment and these
are flu-like symptoms, risk of the infection get increased, rashes on the skin, and hairs get
thin (Ngwa, Irabor, Schoenfeld, Hesser, Demaria, & Formenti, 2018).
 Interleukins: It helps the immune system to destroy cancer by producing cells with this
ability. The interleukin which is made in the laboratory are interleukin-2, IL-2 or
aldesleukin. These are used in the treatment of kidney and skin cancers in which
melanoma is included. Increase in the weight, low blood pressure is some of the side-
effects which can be seen after this treatment (Mozgunov, Jaki, & Paoletti, 2019).
 Imiquimod (Zyclara): This medication is used to provide treatment of genital warts, superficial
basal cell carcinoma and actinic keratosis where it acts as an immune response modifier. In
2015 the medication was approved for the world-wide use under many brands. The common
side effects of the medication which can be observed include burning sensation, redness of the
skin, blisters, skin dryness, itching, skin crusting, skin drainage, skin flaking, scaling, swelling,
etc.
 Lenalidomide (Revlimid): In 2005 the medication was approved for the treatment of multiple
myeloma. This medication also shows its effect in hematological disorder which is also known
as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) (Zhang, Lin, Wang, & Zhu, 2019). This medicine is
listed as the most effective and safest in the World Health Organization’s list of essential
medicines.

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Newer Development of Immunotherapy
In the health care sector, the immunotherapy is an area which is actively known for the
research of cancer. There are new ways are implementing in the immunotherapy for the
treatment of cancer and other diseases by many scientists and researchers across the globe. The
new methods which are introduced are described below:
Newer Monoclonal antibodies: This process plays a crucial part in the treatment of
various cancers. The researchers have examined the specific difference in the cancer cells from
normal cells for this they developed mAbs to utilize this difference. Scientists modify the form of
mAbs and to make them more effective they get attach with the drugs (Liebers, & Jäger, 2019).
Basically it is the protein which can trigger the immune system of human body to fight against
infected cells. The new forms go the mAbs are favorable which can cause the immune reactions.
There is another approach is introduced in which the parts of two antibodies are combined
together where one part is attached with the cancer cells while other is attached to immune cells
it will lead to the immune response on bringing them together (Frankiw, Baltimore, & Li, 2019).
In the new approach of immune system checkpoint, the treatments are combined and set
for distinct targets in order to identify if the process can perform better. In melanoma, through
the combination method better results are obtained rather than providing treatment alone but
there are some side effects can also occur. The recent development in this treatment provides
revolutionary for the cure of breast cancer. With the help of new technology its potential for
triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is increased (Mozgunov, Jaki, & Paoletti, 2019).
The new ways which are introducing in the immunotherapy helping the health care sector
for the treatment of disease like cancer. Cibisatamab is one of the immunotherapy which is
proposed recently plays the role of matchmaker between cancer cells and immune system. With
the use of this treatment the growth rate of the tumors get reduced by 96% with the high level of
CEA; it is an antigen used in the treatment (Talkington, Dantoin, & Durrett, 2018). According to
the research it is observed that the cancer cells are good in hiding themselves but with the help of
this new method in immunotherapy the cancer cells and immune system get brings together so
that the immune system starts to react against them. In another treatment which is newer and it is
introduced for the growth of the miniature replicas of tumor so that a way can be developed
through which patient can respond on immunotherapy (Del Paggio, 2018).

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Conclusion
The report concludes about the immunotherapy and the types of immunotherapies. The
complete focus of this report is based on this therapy which is used for the treatment of various
diseases like cancer. In the report, the research is conducted upon the types of the
immunotherapy available or getting performed by the health experts. The types of
immunotherapy are briefly explained so that the knowledge of their procedure can be understood
easily. By the detailed description of the types of therapy it is clear that not every
immunotherapy is suitable for every type of diseases. The therapy was developed mainly to
minimize and to eliminate cancer. The cancer cells have the ability to hide due to which the
immune system is not able to respond or oppose the growth of those cells this therapy helps to
locate the cancer cells. The examples of the immunotherapy are also mentioned along with the
newer development.

Immunotherapy 8
References
Del Paggio, J. C. (2018). Immunotherapy: Cancer immunotherapy and the value of cure. Nature
Reviews Clinical Oncology, 15(5), 268.
DeNardo, D. G., & Ruffell, B. (2019). Macrophages as regulators of tumour immunity and
immunotherapy. Nature Reviews Immunology, 1.
Dougan, M., Dranoff, G., & Dougan, S. K. (2019). Cancer immunotherapy: beyond checkpoint
blockade. Annual Review of Cancer Biology, 3, 55-75.
Engel-Nitz, N., Ryan, K., Johnson, M. P., & Bunner, S. (2019). Health care utilization associated
with adverse events (AEs) among metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC)
patients treated with immunotherapy or chemotherapy.
Ferrara, R., Caramella, C., & Besse, B. (2019). Hyperprogression—Immunotherapy-Related
Phenomenon vs Intrinsic Natural History of Cancer—In Reply. JAMA oncology, 5(5),
744-744.
Frankiw, L., Baltimore, D., & Li, G. (2019). Alternative mRNA splicing in cancer
immunotherapy. Nature Reviews Immunology, 1.
Liebers, R., & Jäger, D. (2019). Surgical wound immunotherapy. Nature nanotechnology, 14(1),
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Liu, Y., & Aguzzi, A. (2019). Immunotherapy for neurodegeneration?. Science, 364(6436), 130-
131.
Mozgunov, P., Jaki, T., & Paoletti, X. (2019). Randomized dose-escalation designs for drug
combination cancer trials with immunotherapy. Journal of Biopharmaceutical
Statistics, 29(2), 359-377.
Mozgunov, P., Jaki, T., & Paoletti, X. (2019). Randomized dose-escalation designs for drug
combination cancer trials with immunotherapy. Journal of Biopharmaceutical
Statistics, 29(2), 359-377.
Murphy, W. J., & Longo, D. L. (2019). The Surprisingly Positive Association Between Obesity
and Cancer Immunotherapy Efficacy. Jama, 321(13), 1247-1248.
Ngwa, W., Irabor, O. C., Schoenfeld, J. D., Hesser, J., Demaria, S., & Formenti, S. C. (2018).
Using immunotherapy to boost the abscopal effect. Nature Reviews Cancer, 18(5), 313.

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Riley, R. S., June, C. H., Langer, R., & Mitchell, M. J. (2019). Delivery technologies for cancer
immunotherapy. Nature reviews Drug discovery, 1.
Rose, B. (2019). Caring for Patients During and After Immunotherapy Treatment. In Caring for
Patients with Mesothelioma: Principles and Guidelines, 65-71.
Talkington, A., Dantoin, C., & Durrett, R. (2018). Ordinary differential equation models for
adoptive immunotherapy. Bulletin of mathematical biology, 80(5), 1059-1083.
Zhang, Y., Lin, S., Wang, X. Y., & Zhu, G. (2019). Nanovaccines for cancer
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