Predicting Immunotherapy Response

A Nature Genetics study from the Jacks Lab could help identify cancer patients who would benefit the most from immunotherapies called checkpoint blockade inhibitors. The researchers found in mouse models that measuring the diversity of mutations within a tumor generated much more accurate predictions of whether the treatment would succeed than measuring the overall number of mutations. If validated in clinical trials, this information could help doctors to better determine which patients will benefit from checkpoint blockade inhibitors.