About the Cover
Intensive research into the intertwined relationship of the immune system with tumors is yielding new therapies that rely on managing a patient's immune system to promote long-term tumor destruction. Melanoma is the poster child for immunotherapies, with many clinical trials first tested in patients with this tumor. The Rosenberg lab has been treating patients with improved versions of the patient's own cells that recognize and kill melanoma cells. Their latest study identifies T-cell receptors (TCRs) that recognize a patient's tumor antigens based on the frequency of TCR usage among the T cells present in the patient's tumors. The original micrograph (right) depicts a melanin-filled antigen-presenting cell (brown) surrounded by T cells, in the midst of a melanoma tumor. Read more in the article by Pasetto et al., starting on page 734 of this issue. The micrograph (right) is from the Steven Rosenberg laboratory. Artwork is by Lewis Long.