Immune checkpoint inhibitors of PD-L1 as cancer therapeutics

Since the discovery of immune checkpoint proteins, there has been a special interest in developing antibodies that block programmed cell death 1 receptor (PD-1) and programmed cell death receptor ligand 1 (PD-L1) for a subset of cancer patients. PD-1 signaling negatively regulates T cell-mediated immune responses and serves as a mechanism for tumors to evade an antigen-specific T cell immunologic response. It plays a role in promoting cancer development and progression by enhancing tumor cell survival. With this background, PD-1 signaling represents a valuable therapeutic target for novel and effective cancer immunotherapy. Clinical data shows that blockade of this PD-1 signaling significantly enhance…