New york genome

Researchers have developed a two-step approach using whole exome sequencing to zero in on genes and pathways that predict whether cancer patients will respond to immunotherapy. Unfortunately, only a subset of patients responds long-term to immune checkpoint inhibitors-and these treatments can come at a high cost and with side effects. Unlike chemotherapies that kill cancer cells, these drugs help the body’s immune system to find and destroy cancer cells themselves. Immunotherapies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, have transformed the treatment of advanced stage cancers.