Immune checkpoint blockade for cancer therapy: current progress and perspectives.

Hongying YE; Weijie LIAO; Jiongli PAN; Yin SHI; Qingqing WANG

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Immune checkpoint blockade for cancer therapy: current progress and perspectives.

Author: Hongying YE ¹ ; Weijie LIAO ¹ ; Jiongli PAN ¹ ; Yin SHI ² ; Qingqing WANG ³
Author Information

1. Institute of Immunology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China.
2. Department of Biochemistry, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China. yinshi@zju.edu.cn.
3. Institute of Immunology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China. wqq@zju.edu.cn.
Publication Type:Review
Keywords: Cancer immunotherapy; Immune checkpoint blockade; Immune normalization; Tumor immune evasion
MeSH: Humans; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/therapeutic use*; Neoplasms/drug therapy*; Immunotherapy/methods*; Animals
From: Journal of Zhejiang University. Science. B 2025;26(3):203-226
CountryChina
Language:English
Abstract: Dysfunction of anti-tumor immune responses is crucial for cancer progression. Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), which can potentiate T cell responses, is an effective strategy for the normalization of host anti-tumor immunity. In recent years, immune checkpoints, expressed on both tumor cells and immune cells, have been identified; some of them have exhibited potential druggability and have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clinical treatment. However, limited responses and immune-related adverse events (irAEs) cannot be ignored. This review outlines the development and applications of ICBs, potential strategies for overcoming resistance, and future directions for ICB-based cancer immunotherapy.