Abstract B67: Galectin-1 expression related to hypoxia in primary human melanoma as a driver for metastatic progression. A target to promote anticancer immunotherapy.

Galectin-1 is a major protein secreted by the majority of cancer types which is induced by HIF and plays important roles in the tumor microenvironment protecting against anticancer immune cell attack and from reactive oxygen species production. We have shown this protein to be more highly expressed within hypoxic regions of primary melanoma. Galectin-1 expression is critical for protecting endothelial cells in tumor angiogenesis and for promoting tumor metastasis. More recently, we have shown that inhibiting this protein using small drug molecules significantly enhances chemotherapeutic access inside tumors by promoting leakiness and facilitates TIL access inside tumors to kill cancer cells. When galectin-1 blocking drugs are used in combination as a triple therapy with modified whole cancer cell vaccines plus anti-CTLA4 Ig, this provides synergistic enhancements increasing CD8+ CTL anticancer TIL responses to inhibit cancer growth in a range of different mouse tumor models. Citation Format: Stephen J. Ralph, Koichi Ito, Bernadette Wachter, Selda Onturk, James Wilmott, Peter Hersey. Galectin-1 expression related to hypoxia in primary human melanoma as a driver for metastatic progression. A target to promote anticancer immunotherapy. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Tumor Immunology: Multidisciplinary Science Driving Basic and Clinical Advances; Dec 2-5, 2012; Miami, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(1 Suppl):Abstract nr B67.