autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (Zhiyong Huang)

This is an autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy being investigated for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer) in clinical trials led by researcher Zhiyong Huang at Tongji Hospital. The therapeutic process involves the surgical extraction of TILs from a patient's own tumor tissue, followed by their ex vivo activation and large-scale expansion. Once a sufficient number of cells (typically a polyclonal mix of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells) is reached, they are reinfused into the patient via intravenous infusion. This reinfusion occurs after the patient has undergone a non-myeloablative lymphodepletion chemotherapy regimen, which is designed to eliminate immunosuppressive cells and create a cytokine niche for the transferred TILs. Following the infusion, interleukin-2 (IL-2) is administered to promote the survival, expansion, and anti-tumor activity of the TILs within the patient's body. The therapy aims to leverage the patient's own immune system to recognize and destroy tumor cells by targeting a broad range of tumor-specific antigens.

Other names

TIL therapy (Zhiyong Huang)Adoptive cell therapy with TILs for liver cancer