03/13/2026
Immunotherapy has transformed the treatment of many cancers, but prostate cancer has historically been resistant because these tumors often fail to trigger a strong immune response.
Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai are exploring a new strategy to change that. In an early phase clinical trial led by Ash Tewari, MD, investigators tested an innovative presurgical approach designed to activate the immune system directly within prostate tumors.
The study evaluated intratumoral injections of the immune-activating compound POLY-ICLC before prostate cancer surgery. Early findings suggest the therapy is safe and may help “wake up” the immune system, creating new possibilities for future immunotherapy strategies.
“High-risk prostate cancer often returns after treatment and has been largely resistant to immunotherapy because these tumors don’t naturally trigger strong immune responses,” says Sujit S. Nair, PhD, Director of Genitourinary Immunotherapy Research at Mount Sinai. “We wanted to test whether we could safely warm up these tumors by activating the immune system before surgery, and the early signals are encouraging.”
The concept may transform how immunotherapy is used in prostate cancer.
“The idea of turning a tumor into its own vaccine by stimulating immune recognition locally is one of the most exciting directions in cancer research,” says Nina Bhardwaj, MD, PhD, Director of the Vaccine and Cell Therapy Laboratory at Mount Sinai. “This work shows that tumors once thought to be invisible to the immune system can potentially be made responsive.”
As you participate in the U.S. News and World Report 2026 to 2027 Best Hospitals survey, we invite you to consider The Mount Sinai Hospital for its leadership in clinical research, innovation, and advancing prostate cancer care.
Vote now: https://www.doximity.com/
