TIL therapy broadens the tumor-reactive CD8+ T cell compartment in melanoma patients

P Kvistborg, CJ Shu, B Heemskerk… - …, 2012 - Taylor & Francis
P Kvistborg, CJ Shu, B Heemskerk, M Fankhauser, CA Thrue, M Toebes, N Van Rooij…
Oncoimmunology, 2012Taylor & Francis
There is strong evidence that both adoptive T cell transfer and T cell checkpoint blockade
can lead to regression of human melanoma. However, little data are available on the effect
of these cancer therapies on the tumor-reactive T cell compartment. To address this issue
we have profiled therapy-induced T cell reactivity against a panel of 145 melanoma-
associated CD8+ T cell epitopes. Using this approach, we demonstrate that individual tumor-
infiltrating lymphocyte cell products from melanoma patients contain unique patterns of …
There is strong evidence that both adoptive T cell transfer and T cell checkpoint blockade can lead to regression of human melanoma. However, little data are available on the effect of these cancer therapies on the tumor-reactive T cell compartment. To address this issue we have profiled therapy-induced T cell reactivity against a panel of 145 melanoma-associated CD8+ T cell epitopes. Using this approach, we demonstrate that individual tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte cell products from melanoma patients contain unique patterns of reactivity against shared melanoma-associated antigens, and that the combined magnitude of these responses is surprisingly low. Importantly, TIL therapy increases the breadth of the tumor-reactive T cell compartment in vivo, and T cell reactivity observed post-therapy can almost in full be explained by the reactivity observed within the matched cell product. These results establish the value of high-throughput monitoring for the analysis of immuno-active therapeutics and suggest that the clinical efficacy of TIL therapy can be enhanced by the preparation of more defined tumor-reactive T cell products.
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