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Comment
. 2024 Mar 28;22(1):317.
doi: 10.1186/s12967-024-04961-x.

Getting more bang for their buck: BCL2 inhibitors boost dendritic-cell function to enhance anti-cancer immune surveillance

Alfredo E Montes-Gómez  1   2 , Stephen W G Tait  3   4
Affiliations
Comment

Getting more bang for their buck: BCL2 inhibitors boost dendritic-cell function to enhance anti-cancer immune surveillance

Alfredo E Montes-Gómez et al. J Transl Med. .

Abstract

The anti-apoptotic BCL-2 protein family regulates cancer cell survival, thus it represents an important therapeutic target. Indeed, a drug class, called BH3-mimetics, have been developed to directly target BCL2 proteins and promote cancer cell death. Conventional wisdom suggests that the primary anti-cancer effect of BCL-2 inhibition is through induction of cancer cell death. However, a recent study by Zhao and colleagues describes that BCL-2 inhibition also enhances the function of classical dendritic cells, unleashing their role in immunosurveillance, promoting T cell immunity and tumour regression. Thus, inhibiting anti-apoptotic BCL-2 function may have a multi-pronged anti-tumour action.

Keywords: BCL-2; BH3 mimetics; DC maturation; Dendritic cells; Immune checkpoint inhibitors; Interferons; Venetoclax.

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Conflict of interest statement

SWGT consults for Exo Therapeutics, A.M-G declares no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
BCL-2 inhibition promotes anti-tumorigenic dendritic cell function (see text for details)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment on

References

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