Automated Manufacturing Of Tumor-Reactive T Cells For Immunotherapy Of Glioblastoma

Glioblastoma remains one of the most difficult solid tumors to treat, with relapse common despite surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy offers a personalized cellular approach, but successful manufacturing depends on recovering tumor-reactive T cells from limited and highly variable tumor material. In glioblastoma samples from 39 patients, tumor digests provided a reliable source of TILs, while CD137-based enrichment helped focus expansion on reactive T cell populations. A 16-day automated Tumor-Reactive T cell process supported high-rate expansion, produced memory-skewed T cell products with low PD1 expression, and preserved unique TCR clonotypes. Functional testing showed that CD137-enriched products delivered stronger autologous tumor cell killing than unselected or CD137-negative TIL populations.

Access the full poster to see how these findings point toward a more practical path for glioblastoma-focused TIL manufacturing.