Predicting PD-L1 expression on human cancer cells using next-generation sequencing information in computational simulation models

Purpose Interaction of the programmed death-1 (PD-1) co-receptor on T cells with the programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) on tumor cells can lead to immunosuppression, a key event in the pathogenesis of many tumors. Thus, determining the amount of PD-L1 in tumors by immunohistochemistry (IHC) is important as both a diagnostic aid and a clinical predictor of immunotherapy treatment success. Because IHC reactivity can vary, we developed computational simulation models to accurately predict PD-L1 expression as a complementary assay to affirm IHC reactivity.