Trends in Immunotherapy: Spotlighting new treatment strategies

Where is the field of immunotherapy now, and where is it going in the future?

I am a dermatologist, so let me introduce the subject in terms of malignant melanomas. Thirty years ago, BCGs (vaccine for tuberculosis) were injected subcutaneously into many patients of malignant melanomas – it is the first step in immunotherapy treatment for malignant melanomas. So why was BCG applied to patients? Because BCG induces non-specific immuno-defense mechanisms. So BCG induces many t-cells, many humoral immunities, etc., and a part of the humoral immunity and a part of T-cells probably attacked the malignant melanoma cells. But the efficiency was very, very low.

The second generation is the antigen-specific T-cell induction in vitro, which means that an antigen is isolated from the malignant cells of the patient, and the antigen of the malignant melanoma is co-cultured with the patient’s lymphocyte. The lymphocyte stimulates the melanoma’s antigen and is activated in the patient again. The activated T-cells, or cytotoxic T-cells, probably will destroy the malignant melanoma cells. That’s the idea. Actually, some doctors have tried it with some good results. However, this is not a universal but a very, very specialized therapy.

And thirdly, as well as chemotherapy, the recent topic is that the immune checkpoint inhibitor agent is very useful in the treatment of malignant melanoma. This is the PD-1. This was discovered by a famous Japanese scientist [Dr Tasuku Honjo of Kyoto University]. From first generation, second generation and third generation immune checkpoint inhibitors, this agent also opens new treatment possibilities for patients with malignant melanomas.

So I want to contribute, and if I can contribute to these new strategies, I’d be very happy. With this new journal, I dream that the journal will bring big contribution to these strategies.

Is immunotherapy the future of cancer treatment?

It’s a combination. If it is one way [of treatment] only, it’s impossible. Chemotherapy, or surgery, or immunotherapy, or immune checkpoint – the combination is very important. Using only one way is impossible to treat cancer patients completely. How to make the right combination, patient by patient – this is the key point for treatment. That is personalized treatment.

What would be the challenges for you as the EIC of the new journal?

That is a difficult question. What we should remember is that the final target or challenge is finding the cure for the diseases. There is much competition among the journals, so the challenge is to overcome the other journals such as Cell, Science, Nature, Lancet, etc. [laughs]

What is your opinion on the Open Access philosophy?

Open access journals are very convenient for us; actually, I have more than ten papers in open access journals. However, it is a bit more expensive. The good merit is that all scientists can read the papers with free access and without charge. Everybody can access the papers which could contain strategies for the cure to treat patients.

What should be done to increase the impact of the new journal?

That is a very good question. And it’s very hard to answer. There are no golden ways; so, for example, when I go to ask or request papers from the well-known doctors, I will try and try to persuade them. There are no special ways, I think, other than to persuade them. Sometimes I’d telephone them, sometimes I’d go to the doctors and I would say, “Please, for the patients who suffer from malignant diseases, please give a chance for your paper.” Hopefully, we will get the chance to spread the word.

Dr Furukawa, thank you for spending time with us.

Thank you!