A single-cell perspective on immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer: from microenvironment analysis to therapeutic strategy innovation - Mini Review

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Quinn

Pancreatic cancer remains among the most lethal malignancies, and conventional therapies show limited efficacy despite rapid progress in immunotherapy. This mini review examines how single-cell technology reshapes understanding of the pancreatic tumor microenvironment by resolving cellular heterogeneity. Single-cell analyses clarify immune–tumor interactions, reveal T cell exhaustion profiles and macrophage polarization states, and support discovery of predictive biomarkers. The review also outlines how single-cell data can guide immunotherapy drug selection and personalized treatment optimization, while addressing translational barriers and the need for interdisciplinary work and AI integration.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Background

Pancreatic cancer challenges and unmet clinical needs

Single-cell technology for immunotherapy insight

Immune landscape dissection in the tumor microenvironment

Biomarkers and personalized immunotherapeutic strategies

Therapeutic strategy translation and future outlook

Clinical translation challenges and AI-enabled opportunities

TYPE Mini Review PUBLISHED 30 October 2024 DOI 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1454833 OPEN ACCESS EDITED BY Raquel Alarcon Rodriguez, University of Almeria, Spain REVIEWED BY Yuquan Chen, Monash University, Australia *CORRESPONDENCE Ke Xu [cqghxuke@cqu.edu.cn](cqghxuke@cqu.edu.cn)[ ](cqghxuke@cqu.edu.cn)Bo Li [liboer2002@126.com](liboer2002@126.com)[ ](liboer2002@126.com)Xiaoli Yang [yangxiaoli@swmu.edu.cn](yangxiaoli@swmu.edu.cn) †These authors have contributed equally to this work RECEIVED 25 June 2024 ACCEPTED 08 October 2024 PUBLISHED 30 October 2024 CITATION Wang R, Liu J, Jiang B, Gao B, Luo H, Yang F, Ye Y, Chen Z, Liu H, Cui C, Xu K, Li B and Yang X (2024) A single-cell perspective on immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer: from microenvironment analysis to therapeutic strategy innovation. Front. Immunol. 15:1454833 . doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1454833 COPYRIGHT © 2024 Wang, Liu, Jiang, Gao, Luo, Yang, Ye, Chen, Liu, Cui, Xu, Li and Yang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. A single-cell perspective on immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer: from microenvironment analysis to therapeutic strategy innovation Rui Wang 1,2,3†, Jie Liu 1,2†, Bo Jiang 1,2†, Benjian Gao 1,2†, Honghao Luo 4, Fengyi Yang 1,2, Yuntao Ye 1,2, Zhuo Chen 1,2, Hong Liu 1,2, Cheng Cui 1,2, Ke Xu 5*, Bo Li 1,2* and Xiaoli Yang 1,2* 1 Department of General Surgery (Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery), The Afﬁliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China, 2Academician (Expert) Workstation of Sichuan Province, Metabolic Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Diseases Key Laboratory of Luzhou City, The Afﬁliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China, 3General Surgery Day Ward, Department of General Surgery, The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, Afﬁliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Second Afﬁliated Hospital of Chengdu, Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, China, 4 Department of Radiology, Xichong People ’s Hospital, Nanchong, China, 5 Department of Oncology, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most lethal malignancies, with conventional treatment options providing limited efﬁcacy . Recent advancements in immunotherapy have offered new hope, yet the unique tumor microenvironment (TME) of pancreatic cancer poses signiﬁcant challenges to its successful application. This review explores the transformative impact of single-cell technology on the understanding and treatment of pancreatic cancer . By enabling high-resolution analysis of cellular heterogeneity within the TME, single-cell approaches have elucidated the complex interplay between various immune and tumor cell populations. These insights have led to the identiﬁcation of predictive biomarkers and the development of innovative, personalized immunotherapeutic strategies. Thereview discusses the role of single-cell technology in dissecting the intricate immune landscape of pancreatic cancer, highlighting the discovery of T cell exhaustion proﬁles and macrophage polarization states that inﬂuence treatment response. Moreover, it outlines the potential of single-cell data in guiding the selection of immunotherapy drugs and optimizing treatment plans. The review also addresses the challenges and prospects of translating these single-cellbased innovations into clinical practice, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary research and the integration of artiﬁcial intelligence to overcome current limitations. Ultimately, the review underscores the promise

FAQs

What problem does the review focus on regarding pancreatic cancer immunotherapy?

Pancreatic cancer has a highly lethal course and a distinct tumor microenvironment that makes immunotherapy difficult to apply effectively.

How does single-cell technology contribute to understanding pancreatic cancer?

Single-cell approaches enable high-resolution mapping of cellular heterogeneity within the tumor microenvironment and clarify interactions between immune and tumor cell populations.

What clinical applications does the review suggest for single-cell findings?

The review highlights the potential to identify predictive biomarkers, guide immunotherapy drug selection, and optimize personalized treatment plans.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Quinn