Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy encompasses therapeutic strategies harnessing, enhancing, or modulating immune system components to treat diseases, particularly cancer, through mechanisms including activating anti-tumour immunity, blocking immune checkpoints, enhancing antigen presentation, or adoptively transferring immune cells. Modalities include checkpoint inhibitors, therapeutic vaccines, cytokines, oncolytic viruses, bispecific antibodies, and cellular therapies including CAR-T cells.

The biopharmaceutical industry has revolutionised cancer treatment through immunotherapy development, with checkpoint inhibitors targeting PD-1, PD-L1, or CTLA-4 achieving remarkable responses in multiple malignancies. Biomarker development identifies responsive patients through tumour mutation burden, PD-L1 expression, or microsatellite instability. Immune-related adverse events require specialised management as overactive immunity attacks normal tissues. Manufacturing for cellular therapies requires patient-specific production, sophisticated supply chains, and quality systems ensuring product consistency. Applications expand beyond oncology to infectious diseases and autoimmune conditions. As understanding deepens regarding immune-tumour interactions and combination strategies optimise, immunotherapy continues transforming treatment paradigms.