Explaining Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes As a Cancer Treatment

February 20, 2024

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One of the challenges of cancer is the immune system does not often recognize cancer cells as diseased or dangerous. Cancer cells are mutated versions of the body’s natural cells, and they possess characteristics similar to healthy cells, which tricks the immune system.

Some immune system cells can recognize cancer cells as diseased, but the tumor microenvironment can prevent immune cells from doing much damage.

A few immune cells sometimes are successful in bypassing the tumor microenvironment and penetrating the tumor wall, which means they’ve infiltrated into the disease and began fighting and killing tumors. These are called tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, and they can be T cells or B cells.

They’re also candidates for transformation into cancer therapy.

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy is a type of cancer cell and gene therapy where doctors remove and multiply white blood cells of the immune system that have already penetrated tumors.

TIL therapy involves removing these tumor-infiltrating cells and amplifying them to create billions more, all with the same original and successful anti-cancer traits. Scientists remove TILs directly from the tumor, ensuring that they collect proficient immune cells for multiplication.

Using TIL therapy to treat cancer

Since TIL therapy uses cells that are already gaining ground in the battle with cancer, this type of cell therapy holds potential against solid tumors. Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy has funded multiple research projects focused on using TILs to fight cancers such as melanoma and kidney cancer.

Michael Lotze, MD, of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, is the chair of ACGT’s Scientific Advisory Council. He’s also an expert in TIL therapy for cancer. His research focuses have involved using TIL therapy for melanoma and kidney cancer.

Amer Zureikat, MD, FACS, also of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, is an ACGT Research Fellow. He’s using grant funding from ACGT to explore using TIL therapy for pancreatic cancer.

There have also been several studies and clinical trials using TIL therapy for melanoma specifically, with positive results and hope for future research advancements.

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