Blood biomarkers for predicting response and toxicity to immune checkpoint blockade in advanced melanoma

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) is a ground-breaking treatment for melanoma that uses a person’s own immune system to fight their tumours. Unfortunately, many patients do not benefit from treatment or experience significant toxicity. This thesis examined patient immunity before and during ICB to understand why this is the case. I developed a method to profile immune cells, and (1) defined the immune changes caused by treatment; (2) found features that predicted response and toxicity to treatment, and (3) assessed the impact of ageing and viral infection on these clinical outcomes. These results suggest potential markers to guide future personalised care.