Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy marks a milestone in cancer treatment
New Moffitt commentary highlights the evolution and potential of TIL therapy
2024-07-18
(Press-News.org) TAMPA, Fla. — The recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of lifileucel, the first commercial tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy for advanced melanoma, marks a significant breakthrough in cancer therapy. In a new commentary published in Cancer Cell, Moffitt Cancer Center scientists provide a comprehensive overview of the therapy’s development and highlight its transformative potential.
“TIL therapy represents a major advancement in personalized cancer treatment, offering new possibilities for patients with treatment-resistant cancers,” said Amod Sarnaik, M.D., lead author and senior member of the Cutaneous Oncology Department at Moffitt.
Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy has been in development for several decades. Preclinical studies evaluating its efficacy began at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in the early 1980s. James J. Mulé, IPh.D., a world-renowned immunologist and associate center director of Translational Science at Moffitt, brought TIL research to the cancer center in 2003. Since then, Moffitt has played a pivotal role in developing and validating the immunotherapy.
In 2010, Moffitt opened its first TIL trials, the first center outside of the NCI to treat patients with the investigational therapy. This initial study, treating 13 patients with advanced metastatic melanoma, yielded promising results: five responses, including two complete responses lasting beyond five years. The commentary examines Moffitt’s subsequent clinical trials, which aimed to address the high dropout rate due to disease progression during TIL manufacturing. These trials combined TIL therapy with newly approved anti-melanoma agents, significantly reducing the dropout rate from 32% to 5%.
Moffitt is also working on the next generation of TIL therapy. Shari Pilon-Thomas, Ph.D., and other immunologists at the center are investigating innovative ways to stimulate and improve TIL therapy growth and manufacturing and determine the best infusion timing to ensure optimal patient outcomes. Moffitt researchers are also expanding this therapeutic approach to treat other solid tumor cancer types, such as lung, sarcoma, cervical and bladder.
“We are at the beginning of unlocking the potential of T-cell and cell therapies for treating advanced cancers. The FDA’s approval of lifileucel is a monumental step to inspire further investment and innovation in T-cell therapies, particularly TIL therapy,” said Moffitt President and CEO Patrick Hwu, M.D. “Our pioneering research at Moffitt into next-generation TIL therapies aims to extend these lifesaving treatments to a broader range of cancer patients.”
About Moffitt Cancer Center
Moffitt is dedicated to one lifesaving mission: to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer. The Tampa-based facility is one of only 57 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, a distinction that recognizes Moffitt’s scientific excellence, multidisciplinary research, and robust training and education. Moffitt’s expert nursing staff is recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center with Magnet® status, its highest distinction. For more information, call 1-888-MOFFITT (1-888-663-3488), visit MOFFITT.org, and follow the momentum on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
###
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2024-07-18
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 18, 2024
CONTACT: Camille Jewell, cjewell@vancomm.com or 202-248-5460
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Neurointerventional surgeons from across the globe will gather at the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery’s (SNIS) 21st Annual Meeting from July 22 through July 25 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to present novel research and innovation in their field.
The conference, held at the Broadmoor Resort, will be a hybrid event with in-person and livestreamed content. Meeting sessions will cover new topics ranging from how living in coal mining areas worsens outcomes ...
2024-07-18
Researchers from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine-Knoxville; the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center Office of Research understand the challenges affecting the health and wellness of Tennesseans. A new system-wide collaborative grant program led by UTHSC COM-K is supporting research and scholarly activities to pursue discoveries addressing health issues across Tennessee and beyond.
The program will fund six awards totaling more than $450,000 to support teams of clinicians, faculty, and researchers from across the state to innovate in the field of medicine and biomedical research.
Robert ...
2024-07-18
A team of University of Virginia researchers released the first-ever database of hurricane evacuation orders in the United States. By examining what has worked (and hasn’t) in the face of oncoming hurricanes, leaders and government officials can increase community resilience, create better policy and, ultimately, reduce loss of life.
The project, seed-funded by UVA’s Environmental Institute, teamed Majid Shafiee-Jood and Negin Alemazkoor and Harsh Anand, an engineering doctoral candidate, from the School of Engineering and Applied Science. The trio spent countless hours gathering all nationwide public-facing evacuation orders and created a database that can ...
2024-07-18
The Center for Applied Biomechanics at the University of Virginia studies the impact of car crashes on the human body, aiming to improve injury prevention. Funded by Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center, CAB’s three newest projects will study rib, lumbar and ankle injuries specifically.
Jason Forman, a UVA Engineering and Applied Science research associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, is the principal investigator on two of the studies.
One study will use ...
2024-07-18
A multitude of new genomic sequence data fills major gaps in the fruit fly tree of life, Bernard Kim from Stanford University, US, and colleagues report in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, publishing July 18th.
Fruit flies are classic model organisms in biological research and were among the first species to have their whole genome sequenced. With over 4,400 species, the diversity of the fruit fly family could offer insights into evolutionary patterns and processes. But only a fraction of these species ...
2024-07-18
A large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) using data from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Million Veterans Program (MVP) – one of the largest US-based biobanks – fills crucial gaps in our knowledge of the relationships between genes, traits, and disease across diverse populations, according to a new study. The findings underscore the importance of diversity in genetic studies and the need for expanding representation in future GWAS investigations. GWAS studies have provided foundational knowledge about the genetic basis of disease ...
2024-07-18
When at the edges of their geographic ranges, fruit-eating birds favor foods that more closely match their beak size, researchers report, suggesting that foraging niches (the diversity of food resources a species uses) become more specialized toward the periphery of a species range. The findings may help explain geographic variation in species’ fitness and are important for accurately predicting species’ responses to continued environmental change, which is forcing many populations to live near or outside their historic range limits. Animals feed on a subset of available resources within their environment. Optical ...
2024-07-18
In a Perspective, Daniel Drucker highlights the growing body of evidence that hints at the potential of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-based medications in treating conditions other than diabetes and obesity, including cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative disorders. GLP-1 is a hormone released from the gut after eating that enhances glucose-dependent insulin secretion. Pharmacological GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) activation reduces glucagon secretion and slows gastric emptying, making it an effective treatment for type 2 diabetes. Later studies found that GLP-1 administration also inhibited food intake through ...
2024-07-18
Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) have become the cornerstone of malaria treatment and control. However, the recent emergence and spread of artemisinin-resistance (ART-R) in malaria-causing Plasmodium falciparum parasites in eastern Africa has compromised the efficacy of these crucial treatments. In a Policy Forum, Mehul Dhorda and colleagues argue that urgent action is needed to prevent a surge in malaria-related sickness and death in the region. “Success in containing ART-R in the Greater Mekong Subregion in Asia, where ART-R was first reported in 2008, suggests that a multipronged approach is needed ...
2024-07-18
Physical exercise is associated with fewer depression symptoms in people with osteoarthritis, even - and especially - in those who experience the most pain, per Australian study.
####
Article URL: https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0003129
Article Title: Physical activity and depression symptoms in people with osteoarthritis-related pain: A cross-sectional study
Author Countries: Australia, Canada
Funding: This work was supported by the Victorian Higher Education State Investment Fund (IL., AP., MM., VA., RL, MW.). ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy marks a milestone in cancer treatment
New Moffitt commentary highlights the evolution and potential of TIL therapy
