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TREM2 Modulation Remodels the Tumor Myeloid Landscape Enhancing Anti-PD-1 Immunotherapy
Molgora M, Esaulova E, Vermi W, Hou J, Chen Y, Luo J, Brioschi S, Bugatti M et al.. Cell, 2020-08-11
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Checkpoint immunotherapy unleashes T cell control of tumors, but is undermined by immunosuppressive myeloid cells. TREM2 is a myeloid receptor that transmits intracellular signals that sustain microglial responses during Alzheimer's disease. TREM2 is also expressed by tumor-infiltrating macrophages.
Key findings
- TREM2 is a myeloid receptor that transmits intracellular signals that sustain microglial responses during Alzheimer's disease.
- TREM2 is also expressed by tumor-infiltrating macrophages.
- Here, we found that Trem2 -/- mice are more resistant to growth of various cancers than wild-type mice and are more responsive to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy.
- Furthermore, treatment with anti-TREM2 mAb curbed tumor growth and fostered regression when combined with anti-PD-1. scRNA-seq revealed that both TREM2 deletion and anti-TREM2 are associated with scant MRC1 + and CX 3 CR1 + macrophages in the tumor infiltrate, paralleled by expansion of myeloid subsets expressing immunostimulatory molecules that promote improved T cell responses.
Why it matters
This study found that Trem2-/- mice were more resistant to tumor growth and more responsive to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy, and anti-TREM2 treatment curbed tumor growth in combination with anti-PD-1. It concerns cancer immunotherapy and does not test any treatment, cure or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 58/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Cell) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Cell: journal h-index 1,220 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2020 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 652 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 81.5 citations a year over 8 year(s) since 2020 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 23.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 4 / 6 | Cited by 33 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 4 / 4 | Cited 362 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Marco Colonna: h-index 172 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Washington University in St. Louis: institution h-index 1,962 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 32783918) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 58 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Molgora, M., Esaulova, E., Vermi, W., Hou, J., Chen, Y., Luo, J., et al. (2020). TREM2 Modulation Remodels the Tumor Myeloid Landscape Enhancing Anti-PD-1 Immunotherapy. Cell. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.07.013
Vancouver
Molgora M, Esaulova E, Vermi W, Hou J, Chen Y, Luo J, et al. TREM2 Modulation Remodels the Tumor Myeloid Landscape Enhancing Anti-PD-1 Immunotherapy. Cell. 2020. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2020.07.013. PMID: 32783918.
BibTeX
@article{molgora2020-32783918,
author = {Molgora, M. and Esaulova, E. and Vermi, W. and Hou, J. and Chen, Y. and Luo, J. and Brioschi, S. and Bugatti, M. and others},
title = {{TREM2 Modulation Remodels the Tumor Myeloid Landscape Enhancing Anti-PD-1 Immunotherapy}},
journal = {Cell},
year = {2020},
doi = {10.1016/j.cell.2020.07.013},
pmid = {32783918},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.07.013}
}
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