Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy or biological therapy is the treatment of <a href="/facts/Disease/55eeQlGL">disease</a> by activating or suppressing the <a href="/facts/Immune_system/HRCTf1pb">immune system</a>. Immunotherapies designed to elicit or amplify an immune response are classified as activation immunotherapies, while immunotherapies that reduce or suppress are classified as <a href="/facts/Immunosuppression/22GHUHkr">suppression immunotherapies</a>. Immunotherapy is under preliminary research for its potential to treat various forms of <a href="/facts/Cancer/PVW6n1D0">cancer</a>.
Cell-based immunotherapies are effective for some cancers. Immune effector cells such as <a href="/facts/Lymphocyte/pS2pv2Ma">lymphocytes</a>, <a href="/facts/Macrophage/z7hkQu3o">macrophages</a>, <a href="/facts/Dendritic_cell/19KBuKFK">dendritic cells</a>, <a href="/facts/Natural_killer_cell/A3THWxrJ">natural killer cells</a>, and <a href="/facts/Cytotoxic_T_cell/e5eRg3XJ">cytotoxic T lymphocytes</a> work together to defend the body against cancer by targeting abnormal antigens expressed on the surface of tumor cells. Vaccine-induced immunity to COVID-19 relies mostly on an immunomodulatory T-cell response.
Therapies such as <a href="/facts/Granulocyte_colony-stimulating_factor/aPbo9muU">granulocyte colony-stimulating factor</a> (G-CSF), <a href="/facts/Interferon/63XfwpEh">interferons</a>, <a href="/facts/Imiquimod/8ajkusIY">imiquimod</a> and cellular membrane fractions from <a href="/facts/Bacteria/wC8xSCsU">bacteria</a> are licensed for medical use. Others including <a href="/facts/Interleukin-2/hH1DXu2W">IL-2</a>, <a href="/facts/Interleukin-7/IESzsYKr">IL-7</a>, <a href="/facts/Interleukin_12/rCttxoLL">IL-12</a>, various <a href="/facts/Chemokine/YrySj9eD">chemokines</a>, synthetic cytosine phosphate-guanosine (CpG) oligodeoxynucleotides and <a href="/facts/Glucan/SGarVY1s">glucans</a> are involved in clinical and preclinical studies.

Immunotherapy open-in-new

Immunotherapy