# LAG-3 blockade

Source: https://onco.cc/technologies/lag3-blockade/  
OnCo record `lag3-blockade` (Technology). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Antibodies against LAG-3, another brake on tired T cells; relatlimab plus nivolumab became the first approved LAG-3 combination for melanoma in 2022.

## Summary

Lymphocyte activation gene 3 (LAG-3) is a checkpoint expressed on exhausted T cells that binds MHC class II and fibrinogen-like protein 1. The fixed-dose combination of relatlimab and nivolumab (Opdualag) roughly doubled progression-free survival compared with nivolumab alone in untreated advanced melanoma in the RELATIVITY-047 trial and was approved by the FDA in 2022, the first new checkpoint class since PD-1. Trials in lung, colorectal and other cancers continue, with mixed results.

## Fields

- Kind: Technology
- Status: approved
- Last checked: 2026-09-04
- Principle: Antibodies block LAG-3 binding to its ligands so exhausted T cells regain function, usually combined with PD-1 blockade because the two pathways co-inhibit.
- Since: 2022
- Strengths: First new approved checkpoint class after CTLA-4 and PD-1; Adds efficacy without the toxicity of CTLA-4 combinations
- Limitations: Benefit shown mainly in melanoma so far; No validated predictive biomarker; Overall survival gain modest

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LAG3
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LAG3

## Connected records

- cancers: [Melanoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/melanoma/)
- fronts: [Immunotherapy](https://onco.cc/fronts/immunotherapy/)
- targets: [LAG-3](https://onco.cc/targets/lag3/)
- drugs: [Nivolumab](https://onco.cc/drugs/nivolumab/)

---
JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/lag3-blockade.json