This Research Topic is the second volume of the “Adenosine Pathways in Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy” Community Series. Please see Volume I
here.
The durable responses seen using Immune checkpoint inhibitors and Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies have established immunotherapy as a new pillar in cancer therapy. However, targeting additional mechanisms of tumor immunity is the next step in extending the impact of immunotherapy to further patients and cancer types. Research efforts are aimed at developing personalized combinatorial approaches that can target other inhibitory mechanisms at play in the tumor microenvironment (TME).
Adenosine signaling represents a key metabolic pathway involved in the regulation of tumor immunity, being co-opted by tumors to promote their growth and impair immunity. Adenosine is produced at high levels in the TME, in response to factors such as hypoxia, and serves as a broadly immunosuppressive metabolite that regulates both innate and adaptive immune responses. Inhibition of adenosine generating enzymes represents one strategy for the promotion of antitumor immunity, by enhancing T cell and NK cell functionality and suppressing the pro-tumourigenic effects of myeloid cells and other immunoregulatory cells. Research into immunotherapeutics targeting various aspects of adenosine signaling is already underway. Several agents counteracting the adenosine axis have been developed. Pre-clinical studies have demonstrated anti-tumor activity alone and in combination with other immunotherapies, though more research is needed to fully understand their viability as a treatment option.
In this Research Topic, we aim to gain further understanding of the role of adenosine signaling in regulating tumor immunity. We also welcome submissions focusing on identifying novel potential therapeutic targets in the adenosine pathway, preclinical data for immunotherapeutics targeting the adenosine pathway, and studies identifying rational combination immunotherapy strategies. We welcome the submissions of Original Research, Review, Mini Review, Clinical Trial, Opinion, and Perspective articles covering, but not limited to, the following sub-topics:
• The role of adenosine signaling in the regulation of tumor immunity
• Factors regulating adenosine production in the TME
• Identification of novel immunotherapeutics targets in the adenosine signaling pathway and the underlying mechanisms in tumorigenesis
• Pre-clinical studies on immunotherapeutics targeting the adenosine pathway
• Studies identifying rational combination immunotherapy strategies involving adenosine immunotherapeutics
• The use of novel technologies to improve our understanding of adenosine signaling and tumor immunity and potential immunotherapeutic
Manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this section and will not be accepted as part of this Research Topic.