Summit Speaker Series: Session Nine
Harnessing the power of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) by cell selection for adoptive transfer immunotherapy
A small number of anti-tumor immune cells, called T cells, can naturally infiltrate tumors in most patients, but fail to control cancer growth. Current antibody-based immunotherapy designed to boost these anti-tumor T cells are only efficacious in a minority of patients. Another way to therapeutically harness anti-tumor T cells consists in producing them in large numbers outside the body and transfusing them to patients. In this project, we propose to make a T cell transfusion product highly enriched in tumor-reactive T cells using patients' own tumor as source material.
This is achieved by sorting T cells from surgically removed tumor. Cell sorting is based on the expression by T cells of a cell surface marker called PD-1, which acts as a "tag" for tumor-reactivity. We have optimized the parameters of a sophisticated cell sorter and the cell culture conditions to expand the sorted T cells to large numbers for infusion into patients. The main goal of this project is to test the feasibility, the safety, and the potential efficacy of this T cell immunotherapy in 24 patients with metastatic melanoma resistant to standard treatment. To guide the design of subsequent trials, we will characterize the biologic features of the starting tumors and the T cell products for their association with treatment efficacy and side effects. Enrolled patients will be offered to participate in a patient-led support group to help them understand and communicate to others what to expect from anti-tumor T cell transfusion immunotherapy.
SPEAKERS
Dr. Simon Turcotte
Associate professor, Department of surgery, Université de Montréal; Physician, Hepatopancreatobiliary and liver transplantation division, CHUM; Co-director; Full Scientist, CHUM
Dr. Sandy Pelletier
Scientific Coordinator of the Adoptive Cell Transfer (ACT) Immunotherapy Program, CHUM
Sylvain Bédard
Patient Coordinator, Centre of Excellence for Partnership with Patients and the Public
This is a recording of a webinar that took place June 28, 2021.
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