Unlocking New Avenues in Cancer Immunotherapy: A Conversation with Dr. Helena Florindo

In this episode, we have the pleasure of talking with Dr. Helena Florindo, an innovator in the field of cancer immunotherapy. Our conversation revolves around her recent work focused on identifying novel small molecules that can modulate the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/PD-ligand 1 (PD-L1) interaction, which has shown exciting clinical outcomes in diverse human cancers. While monoclonal antibodies are currently the only approved inhibitors of PD-1/PD-L1, the majority of patients do not respond to these immune checkpoint inhibitors, highlighting the importance of developing new immunotherapeutic agents. In a transdisciplinary approach combining in silico analyses with in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo experimental studies, Dr. Florindo's team has discovered small molecules that stimulate human adaptive immune responses. Unlike currently available biological compounds, these novel small molecules have shown the ability to enhance the infiltration of T lymphocytes into three-dimensional solid tumor models and recruit cytotoxic T lymphocytes to the tumor microenvironment in vivo.Join us as Dr. Florindo discusses the promising potential of these small molecules to transform cancer immunotherapy by regulating the PD-L1/PD-1 signaling pathway and promoting an extensive infiltration of effector CD8 T cells to the tumor microenvironment.Keywords: Cancer Immunotherapy, Small Molecules, PD-1, PD-L1, Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors, T Lymphocytes, Dr. Helena Florindo.Therapeutic targeting of PD-1/PD-L1 blockade by novel small-molecule inhibitors recruits cytotoxic T cells into solid tumor microenvironment https://jitc.bmj.com/content/10/7/e004695