Fig. 1.

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) with mAbs in hematologic malignancies. CD70/CD27 and Galectin-9 (Gal-9)/Tim-3 expression in hematologic malignancies (tumor cell): mAb antagonists inhibit tumor progression by blocking autocrine stimulatory loops, which intrinsically promote tumor cell growth and self-renewal via β-catenin/HIF-1/NF-κB pathways. LILRB2/4 and CD70 expression on tumor cell: antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) specifically binds and kills tumor cells. PD-L1/PD-L2, Gal-9, LILRB4, and MHCII/FGL-1 expression on tumor cell: mAb antagonists targeting their receptors/ligand to neutralize co-inhibitory signals for T cell anti-tumor immune responses. CD27 expression on T cell: mAb agonist promotes T cell response. CTLA-4 expression on T cells: mAb antagonist removes inhibitory T cell signaling and selectively deletes intratumoral regulatory T cells (Treg) via antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC). sGal-9, soluble Galectin-9; sTim-3, soluble Tim-3; APOE, apolipoprotein E; uPAR, urokinase receptor; ARG1, arginase-1; FGL-1, fibrinogen-like protein 1