{
  "abstract": "Endogenous retrotransposable elements (ERE) can modulate immune responses. We explored ERE transcription in relation to response to immune checkpoint inhibition in advanced solid tumors. ERE expression was measured in pre- and on-treatment samples from patients treated in a clinical trial with pembrolizumab. We evaluated immune cell infiltration and correlated ERE expression with interferon (IFN)-stimulated gene profiles and cytolytic activity. Two independent datasets were retrospectively analyzed as external validation. ERE transcription, notably Alu repetitive elements followed by long interspersed nuclear elements (LINE), is upregulated in immunotherapy responders, and higher ERE expression correlates with durable clinical benefit and improved long-term outcomes. In responders, this dynamic increase correlates with CD8+ T-cell infiltration and cytolytic activity, particularly during treatment. A trend toward increased A-to-I RNA editing was observed in responders. External validation in melanoma and non–small cell lung cancer cohorts confirmed a consistent pattern in ERE transcription. Therefore, ERE transcription is emerging as a potential biomarker for personalized immunotherapy in solid tumors.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.",
    "University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.",
    "Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.",
    "School of Computer Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada.",
    "Biostatistics Department, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.",
    "Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.",
    "Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Canada.",
    "Structural Genomics Consortium, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.",
    "School of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom."
  ],
  "article_type": "brief report",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 19,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Mercedes Herrera",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8553-3919"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Sajid A. Marhon",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1046-9852"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Zhihui Amy Liu",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1537-4868"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Helen Loo",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4867-8593"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Farnoosh Abbas-Aghababazadeh",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6427-9379"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Jeff P. Bruce",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5509-9990"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "David Chen",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3178-519X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Emily Van de Laar",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-2816-9065"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Helen Chow",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1387-4693"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Philippe L. Bedard",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6771-2999"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Albiruni R. Abdul Razak",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-7657-9950"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Anna Spreafico",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3034-3042"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Marcus O. Butler",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9840-7057"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Stephanie Lheureux",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4405-5890"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        5,
        6
      ],
      "name": "Trevor J. Pugh",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8073-5888"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2,
        5,
        7
      ],
      "name": "Benjamin Haibe-Kains",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-7684-0079"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Lillian L. Siu",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3500-0540"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Daniel D. De Carvalho",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8572-5259"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        8
      ],
      "name": "Pavlina Spiliopoulou",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6486-6319"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/brq110w9sc025.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1158/2326-6066.cir-26-0365",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13728798/",
  "id": "brq110w9sc025",
  "issns": [
    "2326-6066",
    "2326-6074"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1158/2326-6066.cir-26-0365",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Biomarkers"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Checkpoint Blockade"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Clinical-stage Research"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Immune Cells and the Microenvironment"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Immune Responses to Cancer"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Immunology"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Immunotherapy"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Non-coding RNA biomarkers"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Priority Brief"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Tumor Microenvironment"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Tumor Resistance to Immune Response"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2730|Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7202348380",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC13728798",
  "pmid": "42593482",
  "published": "2026-08-13",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/brq110w9sc025.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-07T12:21:42Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13728798",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1158/2326-6066.cir-26-0365"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "heading:Immunology",
      "subfield": "immunology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Immune Checkpoint Blockade Sensitivity Is Linked to Endogenous Retroelement Transcriptional Changes in Cancer",
  "title_text": "Immune Checkpoint Blockade Sensitivity Is Linked to Endogenous Retroelement Transcriptional Changes in Cancer",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-07T12:21:42Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/brq110w9sc025",
  "venue": "Cancer Immunology Research",
  "versions": []
}