Immuno-oncology Conversations…
Elaine Pinheiro
Principal Scientist, MSD
You are presenting in our preclinical stream focusing on the design and development of immunotherapies for cancer.
Can you tell me a little about what your group is working on at the moment?
The team’s goal is to focus on preclinical strategies to support the clinical development of pembrolizumab (Keytruda). We’ve
leveraged preclinical models to assess PD-1/PD-L1 pathway biology, mechanism of action, biomarkers and determination of the
anti-tumor activity of PD-1 blockade as a single agent and in combination with other treatments. The ultimate goal of these efforts
is to inform strategies to increase efficacy and expand potential indications for the pembrolizumab programme.
Why is this such an exciting time for immuno-oncology at the moment, and what do you expect to see from the industry
over the next couple of years?
This is an exciting time in the field. Multiple strategies for eliciting and enhancing anti-tumor immunity have been developed,
some of which are currently in the clinic. In particular, immune checkpoint therapy, such as PD-1 blockade, has led to important
clinical advances showing significant and durable clinical activity in multiple types of advanced cancers. We predict that the list of
cancers sensitive to anti-PD-1 therapy will grow. The field is developing rapidly and currently moving towards combination
strategies that can improve upon anti-tumor responses, produce durable clinical benefit, and expand patient populations and
indications.
We expect to see an expansion of combination strategies with PD-1 blockade as a foundation therapy in combination with other
mechanisms. Even the early discovery programs are strategically focused on trying to identify the optimal combination partners
with pembrolizumab. This will also require the generation of novel biomarker strategies. For cancer immunotherapy, mechanistic
insights will be integral to next-generation biomarker development.
What are the key challenges those working in immuno-oncology are facing right now?
One of the key challenges is how best to tailor combination strategies to provide maximal benefit to patients. As the field evolves,
the goal is to move from an empirical to a rational design strategy. How we prioritize new combinations will require an
understanding of which mechanism is best for which tumor. Understanding the determinants of responsiveness and how we can
select patients most likely to respond to these agents is also essential. This will be particularly challenging in the setting of
combination approaches.
Career and Experience
Elaine Pinheiro completed her BS in Biology at Carnegie Mellon University and her PhD at the John
Hopkins University School of Medicine. From 2004 – 2010 she was a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT. She
has worked at MSD in the area of in-vivo pharmacology for immuno-oncology since 2011.
Elaine will be speaking on the second day of our Advances in Immuno-oncology Congress on
preclinical strategies to support the development of Keytruda.