Brief CV:
Alena Gros, PhD is Group Leader of the Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Group at the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) in Barcelona and Co-Director of the Advanced Cell Therapies Program. She obtained her PhD in Genetics and completed postdoctoral training at the National Cancer Institute (NIH, USA) under Dr. Steven A. Rosenberg. Her research focuses on identifying tumor-reactive T cells and developing personalized T-cell immunotherapies for solid tumors. Her laboratory integrates single-cell genomics, T-cell receptor discovery, and translational immunology to advance adoptive cell therapies.
Personalized T-Cell Therapies for Solid Cancers
Abstract:
Ex vivo expansion of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes can lead to durable tumor regression in patients with metastatic melanoma. Accumulating evidence suggests that TIL frequently recognize neoantigens and that neoantigen reactive TIL play an important role in the antitumor responses of patients treated with immune checkpoint blockade and TIL therapy. These are optimal targets for cancer immunotherapy as their expression is exquisitely confined to the tumor site, and T cells targeting these antigens have not undergone negative selection in the thymus. Despite the promising efficacy of TIL therapy against melanoma tumors, current research in the field focuses on trying to extend this efficacy to other tumor types. We will discuss the existing possibilities to develop personalized T-cell therapies targeting neoantigens for solid cancers, with particular emphasis on minimally invasive T-cell therapies.
