Interview with Prof. Michael B. Atkins: Insights into Cancer Immunotherapy
On November 30, 2024, the Executive Chief Editor of Journal of Cancer Metastasis and Treatment (JCMT) conducted an in-depth interview with Prof. Michael Atkins, a leading authority in oncology and immunotherapy from MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., USA, to gain his insights into the scientific and clinical frontiers of cancer immunotherapy.
Prof. Atkins reflected on the major challenges his team has faced in advancing immunotherapy research and shared how these experiences have shaped innovative strategies to tackle complex questions in cancer treatment. He discussed mechanisms of treatment resistance, emphasizing the need for combination therapies and the development of reliable biomarkers to optimize personalized treatment selection.
The discussion further explores the tumor microenvironment in melanoma, comparing its immune and stromal characteristics with those of other cancers such as hepatocellular carcinoma, lung cancer, breast cancer, and ovarian carcinoma. Prof. Atkins shared insights on how cancer-associated fibroblasts and immunosuppressive cytokines differently influence tumor behavior across cancer types, offering important implications for therapy development.
Watch the following video for expert insights from Prof. Michael Atkins:
Interview Questions:
Q1: What are the key challenges you have overcome in your immunotherapy research, and how have these experiences influenced your approach to addressing complex research questions?
Q2: What are the underlying mechanisms of resistance to treatment, and how can different therapeutic approaches be combined to overcome these challenges? Additionally, how can we identify reliable biomarkers to guide patient selection for personalized treatment strategies?
Q3: Could you elaborate on the tumor microenvironment in melanomas? Specifically, is it characterized by a significant presence of cancer-associated fibroblasts and an inflammatory microenvironment, or does it differ from other cancers, such as hepatocellular carcinoma, lung cancer, breast cancer, or ovarian carcinoma, where cancer-associated fibroblasts play a major role in secreting immunosuppressive cytokines?
About the Interviewee:
Prof. Michael Atkins, Division of Hematology/Oncology, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, D.C., USA.
Prof. Michael B. Atkins is an internationally recognized leader in translational and clinical research, focusing on anti-angiogenic therapy, cytokines, hematology, immunotherapy, kidney cancer, mechanisms of resistance, melanoma, molecularly targeted therapy, predictive biomarkers, and translational research.
He has served as President of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer and as a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Nominating Committee and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee. Currently, he is co-Chair of the Melanoma Research Foundation Scientific Advisory Council. His contributions to melanoma research have been recognized by OncLive as a "Giant in Cancer Care" and by SITC with the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Editor: Frida Zhai
Language Editor: Catherine Yang
Production Editor: Ting Xu
Respectfully Submitted by the Editorial Office of Journal of Cancer Metastasis and Treatment
