Pembrolizumab: molecular mechanisms & dependencies

How nutrients influence it

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Human evidence only

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What it does

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Recorded relationships

Where it participates (unsigned role)

In two single-patient studies, one in a patient with metastatic colorectal cancer who received BTH1677 combined with the tumour targeting antibody cetuximab and a second in a patient with metastatic neuroendocrine tumour who received BTH1677 combined with the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab, the patients had low serum titres of antibodies against beta-glucan and low innate immune effector functionality induced by BTH1677, and addition of intravenous immunoglobulins restored innate immune activity of BTH1677 and induced clinically meaningful anti-tumoural activity with long-term disease control.
Intravenous immunoglobulin → Imprime PGG / BTH1677, a soluble yeast beta-(1->3)/(1->6)-glucan source_derived_draftungraded
Experimental context and source evidence
availability_state
biomarker_context Imported condition classification; unverified.
evidence_span
{"source_cache": "artifacts/glucan-research/32132045.abstract.txt", "locator": "Indexed abstract; zero-based, end-exclusive Unicode character offsets", "file_sha256": "7dea757c889af10839a38a317d704760e7e15798bc15a5da3a1323ec4143cf42", "start_char": 0, "end_char": 1102, "text_sha256": "7dea757c889af10839a38a317d704760e7e15798bc15a5da3a1323ec4143cf42"}
experimental_model
Two single-patient reports of immunoglobulin infusion in patients with low anti-glucan antibody
exposure
BTH1677 with cetuximab or with pembrolizumab, plus intravenous immunoglobulin
limitations
Two patients. This is an anecdotal test of a mechanism, not evidence of treatment benefit, and no control condition exists for the tumour outcome.
nutrient_topic
Beta-glucan research collection; topical membership is not evidence of a direct clinical effect, and each preparation is recorded as its own entity with no family link joining any pair. · Beta-glucan
organism
Human
plain_language
Two patients who lacked the antibody were given antibody, and the drug started working.
primary_references
[bg-p32132045] Immunoglobulin Restores Immune Responses to BTH1677 in Patients With Low Levels of Antibodies to Beta-glucan. (2020). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32132045/ DOI: 10.21873/anticanres.14090
tissue_or_cell_type
Peripheral blood and tumour
trigger_kind
biomarker_context Imported condition classification; unverified.
Beta-glucan: a structural family rather than an agent, what decides whether a bound glucan actually signals, the complement route that a cereal and a yeast preparation share, and the unequal human evidence behind each (2026-09-22) · lines 294–305
AI-assisted literature curation; primary study URLs and scope retained in the document and extraction. Not publisher full text. · supports · Two single-patient reports of immunoglobulin infusion in patients with low anti-glucan antibody · source_derived_draft · unverified_draft
### bg-adding-antibody-restores-it In two single-patient studies, one in a patient with metastatic colorectal cancer who received BTH1677 combined with the tumour targeting antibody cetuximab and a second in a patient with metastatic neuroendocrine tumour who received BTH1677 combined with the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab, the patients had low serum titres of antibodies against beta-glucan and low innate immune effector functionality induced by BTH1677, and addition of intravenous immunoglobulins restored innate immune activity of BTH1677 and induced clinically meaningful anti-tumoural activity with long-term disease control. Condition category: biomarker_context nutrient_topic: Beta-glucan research collection; topical membership is not evidence of a direct clinical effect, and each preparation is recorded as its own entity with no family link joining any pair. plain_language: Two patients who lacked the antibody were given antibody, and the drug started working. organism: Human tissue_or_cell_type: Peripheral blood and tumour experimental_model: Two single-patient reports of immunoglobulin infusion in patients with low anti-glucan antibody limitations: Two patients. This is an anecdotal test of a mechanism, not evidence of treatment benefit, and no control condition exists for the tumour outcome. exposure: BTH1677 with cetuximab or with pembrolizumab, plus intravenous immunoglobulin evidence_span: {"source_cache": "artifacts/glucan-research/32132045.abstract.txt", "locator": "Indexed abstract; zero-based, end-exclusive Unicode character offsets", "file_sha256": "7dea757c889af10839a38a317d704760e7e15798bc15a5da3a1323ec4143cf42", "start_char": 0, "end_char": 1102, "text_sha256": "7dea757c889af10839a38a317d704760e7e15798bc15a5da3a1323ec4143cf42"} [bg-p32132045] Immunoglobulin Restores Immune Responses to BTH1677 in Patients With Low Levels of Antibodies to Beta-glucan. (2020). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32132045/ DOI: 10.21873/anticanres.14090
Complete structured claim and evidence
Confirmed objective response rate was 10% with one complete and two partial responses, median progression-free survival was 2.6 months and median overall survival was 11.1 months, prior immunotherapy negatively influenced overall survival with a hazard ratio of 2.95, and the combination of Imprime and pembrolizumab is tolerable but did not improve the outcome of advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer patients who previously progressed on anti-PD-1 or PD-L1 immunotherapies.
Imprime PGG / BTH1677, a soluble yeast beta-(1->3)/(1->6)-glucan → Progression-free survival in high-grade glioma source_derived_draftungraded
Experimental context and source evidence
evidence_span
{"source_cache": "artifacts/glucan-research/39670007.abstract.txt", "locator": "Indexed abstract; zero-based, end-exclusive Unicode character offsets", "file_sha256": "2aad97fa3dcbfbdcedfc88a4fbcad902de0cbade16dcf3c94b26a9c6960ced38", "start_char": 0, "end_char": 2076, "text_sha256": "2aad97fa3dcbfbdcedfc88a4fbcad902de0cbade16dcf3c94b26a9c6960ced38"}
experimental_model
Investigator-initiated multi-institutional single-arm phase Ib/II trial in previously treated patients
exposure
Imprime PGG at the 4 milligram per kilogram maximum tolerated dose with pembrolizumab
limitations
Single-arm with no randomised comparator, in patients who had already progressed on checkpoint blockade. Thirty patients were evaluable for efficacy.
nutrient_topic
Beta-glucan research collection; topical membership is not evidence of a direct clinical effect, and each preparation is recorded as its own entity with no family link joining any pair. · Beta-glucan
organism
Human
plain_language
Added to a checkpoint drug in patients who had already failed one, it did not help.
primary_references
[bg-p39670007] Phase Ib/II study of imprime PGG and pembrolizumab in patients with previously treated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): BTCRC LUN 15-017. (2024). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39670007/ DOI: 10.21037/tlcr-24-346
tissue_or_cell_type
Advanced non-small cell lung cancer
Beta-glucan: a structural family rather than an agent, what decides whether a bound glucan actually signals, the complement route that a cereal and a yeast preparation share, and the unequal human evidence behind each (2026-09-22) · lines 333–344
AI-assisted literature curation; primary study URLs and scope retained in the document and extraction. Not publisher full text. · supports · Investigator-initiated multi-institutional single-arm phase Ib/II trial in previously treated patients · source_derived_draft · unverified_draft
### bg-no-benefit-with-pembrolizumab Confirmed objective response rate was 10% with one complete and two partial responses, median progression-free survival was 2.6 months and median overall survival was 11.1 months, prior immunotherapy negatively influenced overall survival with a hazard ratio of 2.95, and the combination of Imprime and pembrolizumab is tolerable but did not improve the outcome of advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer patients who previously progressed on anti-PD-1 or PD-L1 immunotherapies. Condition category: normal nutrient_topic: Beta-glucan research collection; topical membership is not evidence of a direct clinical effect, and each preparation is recorded as its own entity with no family link joining any pair. plain_language: Added to a checkpoint drug in patients who had already failed one, it did not help. organism: Human tissue_or_cell_type: Advanced non-small cell lung cancer experimental_model: Investigator-initiated multi-institutional single-arm phase Ib/II trial in previously treated patients limitations: Single-arm with no randomised comparator, in patients who had already progressed on checkpoint blockade. Thirty patients were evaluable for efficacy. exposure: Imprime PGG at the 4 milligram per kilogram maximum tolerated dose with pembrolizumab evidence_span: {"source_cache": "artifacts/glucan-research/39670007.abstract.txt", "locator": "Indexed abstract; zero-based, end-exclusive Unicode character offsets", "file_sha256": "2aad97fa3dcbfbdcedfc88a4fbcad902de0cbade16dcf3c94b26a9c6960ced38", "start_char": 0, "end_char": 2076, "text_sha256": "2aad97fa3dcbfbdcedfc88a4fbcad902de0cbade16dcf3c94b26a9c6960ced38"} [bg-p39670007] Phase Ib/II study of imprime PGG and pembrolizumab in patients with previously treated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): BTCRC LUN 15-017. (2024). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39670007/ DOI: 10.21037/tlcr-24-346
Complete structured claim and evidence

The events it takes part in

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Situations it appears in

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In the sources

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Open hypotheses

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This is a research prototype built from draft material. It is not medical advice, and its statements still await verification against the original studies.

Pembrolizumab