Perspectives on the role of “-Omics” in predicting response to immunotherapy

Abstract

The annual Immuno-Oncology “Think Tank” held in October 2023 in Siena reviewed the rapidly evolving systems-biological approaches which are now providing a deeper understanding of tumor and tumor microenvironment heterogeneity. Based on this understanding opportunities for novel therapies may be identified to overcome resistance to immunotherapy. There is increasing evidence that malignant disease processes are not limited to purely intracellular or genetic events but constitute a dynamic interaction between the host and disease. Tumor responses are influenced by many host tissue determinants across different cellular compartments, which can now be investigated by high-throughput molecular profiling technologies, often labelled with a suffix “-omics”. “Omics” together with ever increasing computational power, fast developments in machine learning, and high-resolution detection tools offer an unrivalled opportunity to connect high-dimensional data and create a holistic view of disease processes in cancer. This review describes advances in several state-of-the-art “-omics” approaches with perspectives on how these can be applied to the clinical development of new immunotherapeutic strategies and ultimately adopted in clinical practice.