On Sept. 23, 2019, Pascal Biosciences identified specific cannabinoids that enhance the immunogenicity of tumor cells, rendering them more susceptible to recognition and elimination by the immune system.

The Major Histocompatibility Complex (“MHC”) is the cellular machinery that flags tumor cells for the immune system. However, most metastatic tumor cells have lost their MHC expression, and thus escape immune system killing.

Specific cannabinoids reactivate MHC expression and may restore immune cell destruction of tumors. This could aid cancer treatment, particularly by boosting the efficacy of checkpoint inhibitors, an exciting form of immunotherapy that is only effective in a fraction of patients.