Rational combinations of active and passive immunotherapy mobilize immune and clinical responses in terminal cancers

Solid tumors encroach on the. Strategies to enhance the specificity of the endogenous T cell population against tumors have been met with limited clinical success. We aimed to devise a 2-tier protocol coupling in vivo whole antigen priming with ex vivo cellular expansion to clinically evaluate survival in patients following re-infusion of primed, autologous T cells, determining treatment efficacy. Treatment commenced with the acquisition of whole tumor antigens from tumor cell lines corresponding with patients??? primary malignancy. Lysate mixture was inoculated intradermally while Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) were periodically extracted via phlebotomy and expanded in culture ex vivo for re-infusion.