What are immune checkpoint inhibitors designed to do?

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are designed to block specific proteins in the immune system that inhibit immune responses. By doing so, they effectively enhance the body's immune response against cancer cells. Checkpoint proteins, such as PD-1, PD-L1, and CTLA-4, normally help regulate immune system activity to prevent overactivation that could damage healthy tissues. However, cancer cells often exploit these checkpoints to evade immune detection and destruction.

By inhibiting these checkpoints, immune checkpoint inhibitors increase the immune system's ability to recognize and attack tumor cells, leading to a more robust anti-tumor response. This has proven to be a revolutionary approach in cancer therapy, helping to improve outcomes in various types of cancer. Enhanced immune activity against tumors can lead to significant clinical responses and, in some cases, durable remission.

Thus, the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors lies in their capacity to enable and amplify the immune system’s natural ability to fight cancer, rather than merely stimulating cellular processes or changing tumor characteristics in other ways.