FAK goes nuclear to control antitumor immunity—a new target in cancer immuno-therapy

ABSTRACT

Evading the antitumor immune response is important for the survival and progression of cancer. Recently, we identified an unexpected role for nuclear Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) activity in the control of tumor Treg levels and immune evasion by regulating chemokine and cytokine transcription in cancer cells. We proposed a potentially new purpose for FAK kinase inhibitors, which can cause immune-mediated tumor regression.

KEYWORDS:

• Cancer immunity
• checkpoint blockade
• chemokine transcription
• Focal Adhesion Kinase
• tumor microenvironment

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest

No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed

Funding

Cancer Research UK (grant C157/A15703) and European Research Council (grant 29440 Cancer Innovation).