Immune checkpoint modulators/immune checkpoint inhibitors

Immune checkpoint modulators are a type of immunotherapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are the most common type of immune checkpoint modulators.

Immune checkpoints are a normal part of the immune system; their role is to regulate the immune response to ensure it is strong enough to appropriately respond to danger signals but not so strong or long lasting that it causes too much damage to normal body tissues and functions.

Some cancer cells can trick this process to ‘switch off’ the immune system and prevent the cancer cells from being killed. Immune checkpoint inhibitors block this process and switch the immune system back on, which promotes cancer cell death.