Harnessing type I interferon-mediated immunity to target malignant brain tumors

Front Immunol. 2023 May 25:14:1203929. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1203929. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

Type I interferons have long been appreciated as a cytokine family that regulates antiviral immunity. Recently, their role in eliciting antitumor immune responses has gained increasing attention. Within the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), interferons stimulate tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes to promote immune clearance and essentially reshape a "cold" TME into an immune-activating "hot" TME. In this review, we focus on gliomas, with an emphasis on malignant glioblastoma, as these brain tumors possess a highly invasive and heterogenous brain TME. We address how type I interferons regulate antitumor immune responses against malignant gliomas and reshape the overall immune landscape of the brain TME. Furthermore, we discuss how these findings can translate into future immunotherapies targeting brain tumors in general.

Keywords: brain tumors; glioblastoma; immunotherapy; tumor microenvironment; type I interferons.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antiviral Agents
  • Brain
  • Brain Neoplasms* / therapy
  • Glioma*
  • Humans
  • Interferon Type I*
  • Tumor Microenvironment

Substances

  • Interferon Type I
  • Antiviral Agents

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2021M3A9H3015688 and NRF-2021M3A9D3026428) funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT of Korea. This work was also supported by the Samsung Science and Technology Foundation (SSTF-BA1902-05), Republic of Korea.