Propose two hypotheses to explain how defects in DNA repair factors (or inhibiting them) increases the efficacy of immunotherapy and how you would test them. The Role of DNA Repair Factors in Enhancing the Efficacy of Immunotherapy

The Role of DNA Repair Factors in Enhancing the Efficacy of Immunotherapy

The increasing evidence of a link between the inhibition of DNA repair factors and improved efficacy of immunotherapy has led to an exploration of the underlying mechanisms. One hypothesis suggests that interrupting the cGAS-STING pathway may be responsible for the increased efficacy of immunotherapy (Ma et al., 2018). A second hypothesis is that defects in or inhibition of DNA repair factors, such as mismatch repair proteins, may lead to an increase in the amount of DNA damage, which in turn could be recognized by the immune system as tumor antigens and lead to enhanced immunotherapy (Kumar et al.,2020). To test these hypotheses, experiments could be conducted in which various DNA repair factors are inhibited in a tumor cell line, and then the response of the cells to immunotherapy can be evaluated. Additionally, the expression level of mismatch repair proteins in the tumor can be assessed and correlated to the efficacy of immunotherapy. In order to further support these hypotheses, further analysis of the various DNA repair pathways and their effects on tumor antigens could be conducted. Overall, these experiments could provide insight into the role of DNA repair factors in the efficacy of immunotherapy. Cont….