Our department is working on developing an innovative cancer immunotherapy using photodynamic therapy to enhance the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors.
The objective of this project is to enhance the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy by a synergistic approach which combines Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICI), such as Nivolumab, with photodynamic therapy (PDT). Our goal is to optimize the efficacy of cancer treatment and improve patient outcomes through this innovative combined cancer immunotherapy. We investigate whether combining ICI and PDT with local therapeutic effect induces abscopal effect and enhances the systemic efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. We aim to elucidate the mechanism underlying the synergistic efficacy of this combination therapy and establish optimal treatment setting. Furthermore, we evaluate the safety and efficacy of this combined cancer immunotherapy by investigator initiated clinical trial.
We are investigating the molecular mechanism by which the ICI and PDT combination boosts the anti-tumor immune effect and therapeutic advantage compared to other combination therapies.