Summary
Recent lab-based discoveries suggest that IDO (indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase) and BTK (Bruton's tyrosine Kinase) form a closely linked metabolic checkpoint in tumor-associated antigen-presenting cells. The central clinical hypothesis for the GCC2020 study is that combining ibrutinib (BTK-inhibitor) with indoximod (IDO-inhibitor) during chemotherapy will synergistically enhance anti-tumor immune responses, leading to improvement in clinical response with manageable overlapping toxicity.