At the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology conference, Merck KGaA announced an updated clinical study of Bintrafusp alfa (M7824, MSB0011359C), a bifunctional immunocytokine consisting of the anti-PD-L1 antibody Bavencio (avelumab) and the extracellular domain of transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) type II receptor (TGFR-2).245 TGFβ was reported to attenuate the tumor response to PD-L1 blockade by contributing to the exclusion of T cells. This evidence concerns the gene TGFB1 and neoplasm.