nivolumab + plinabulin

Nivolumab + plinabulin is an investigational combination therapy for cancer, primarily studied in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Nivolumab is a monoclonal antibody that inhibits the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) checkpoint pathway, thereby enhancing T-cell mediated anti-tumor immunity. Plinabulin is a small molecule microtubule destabilizing agent that binds to the colchicine site on β-tubulin, disrupting microtubule polymerization. This leads to vascular disruption within tumors and direct induction of apoptosis via the Ras-JNK pathway. Plinabulin also has immunomodulatory effects by releasing GEF-H1, which promotes dendritic cell maturation and enhances both innate and adaptive immune responses. The combination aims to synergistically enhance anti-tumor activity by combining immune checkpoint inhibition with tumor vasculature disruption and immune activation[1][2][3][4][5][6].