Exomics and immunogenics: Bridging mutational load and immune checkpoints efficacy

Anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies are emerging as promising anticancer therapeutics. Interestingly, elevated response rates to these agents are mostly documented among patients with tumors that bear high level of somatic mutations, like melanoma or non-small cell lung carcinoma. We herein formulate the hypothesis that high levels of mutational heterogeneity in the tumor could be the key for the success of immune checkpoint-targeting therapies.