Decision making in immuno-oncology is pivotal to adapt therapy to the tumor microenvironment (TME) of the patient among the numerous options of monoclonal antibodies or small molecules. Predicting the best combinatorial regimen remains an unmet medical need. Here, we report a multiplex functional and dynamic immuno-assay based on the capacity of the TME to respond to ex vivo stimulation with twelve immunomodulators including immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in 43 human primary tumors. This "in sitro" (in situ/in vitro) assay has the potential to predict unresponsiveness to anti-PD-1 mAbs, and to detect the most appropriate and personalized combinatorial regimen. Prospective clinical trials are awaited to validate this in sitro assay.
Keywords: cancer; immune checkpoint inhibitors; immunomonitoring; precision oncology; “in sitro” assay.
© 2020 The Authors. Published under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license.