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Figure 2.
The Process of Adoptive T Cell Immunotherapy.
T cells are harvested either from tumor (tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, TILs) or peripheral blood (peripheral blood lymphocytes, PBLs). TILs can be expanded non-specifically since they are preferentially tumor-specific prior to culture. In contrast, tumor specificity must be induced in PBLs, either through antigen-specific expansion or genetic engineering. After several weeks of expansion in culture, tumor-specific T cells can be reinfused into the cancer patient.