autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte cell therapy

Autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) cell therapy is an adoptive cell transfer (ACT) immunotherapy that leverages the patient's own immune system to target cancer. The therapeutic process begins with the surgical resection of a tumor specimen, from which naturally occurring T cells that have already infiltrated the tumor microenvironment are isolated. These TILs are then expanded ex vivo to billions of cells using high-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2). Because these T cells are derived directly from the tumor, they possess a polyclonal T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire capable of recognizing a diverse array of patient-specific neoantigens. Following a lymphodepleting conditioning regimen, the expanded TILs are re-infused into the patient to mediate tumor regression. This specific program, developed by the Fundacio De Recerca Clinic Barcelona and the Institut D’Investigacions Biomediques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS), is currently being evaluated for the treatment of metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), an aggressive subtype with high mutational burden and significant immunogenic potential.

Other names

TILsAutologous TILsTumor-infiltrating lymphocytesTIL therapy