Is Toripalimab a targeted or immunotherapy?

Toripalimab (Toripalimab) is an immunotherapy drug. It belongs to a class of drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors, which enhance the immune system's ability to attack tumors by inhibiting immune checkpoint proteins on the surface of tumor cells, such as PD-1 (programmed death-1) or PD-L1 (programmed death ligand-1). The drug activates the patient's own immune response to help fight malignant tumors. Therefore, toripalimab is classified as an immunotherapy drug. Immunotherapy is generally well tolerated and side effects are manageable.

Toripalimab works with the immune system to help fight cancer and is considered a type of immunotherapy. It is administered intravenously. The immune system helps protect the body from infections from bacteria, viruses, and even cancer. The immune system also has a memory, which allows it to remember and recognize foreign invaders, such as cancer, that are trying to take over our bodies. However, the immune system is not perfect at fighting these invaders. Some tumors appear to "turn off" the ability of anti-cancer cells such as T cells, a type of white blood cell, to attack these foreign cells. When a T cell shuts down (the brakes are on), it is unable to fight cancer. Toripalimab helps reactivate these T cells by releasing the "brake".

Toripalimab is a programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) blocking antibody that works by binding to the PD-1 receptor present on the outside of certain cancer cells. PD-1 prevents our immune system from attacking cancer cells, but once toripalimab binds to PD-1, the immune system is no longer suppressed and immune system components, such as T cells, can kill the cells. Toripalimab is also thought to reduce the number of PD-1 receptors on the outside of cancer cells by causing them to be taken up within the cancer cells.