| abstract |
Methods of expanding tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) from cryopreserved tumor tissue and methods of using the expanded TILs in the treatment of human diseases, including cancers, are disclosed. Preparing the tumor tissue for freezing includes fragmenting the tumor tissue, and incubating the fragments in a cryopreservation medium. In an embodiment, the fragments may be incubated in the cryo preservation medium at 2°C to 8°C for about 30 to about 80 minutes. Freezing the fragments may be done by flash freezing using the vapor phase of liquid nitrogen, e.g. using a dry cryoshipper. In some embodiments, compositions of cryopreserved tumor tissues are disclosed. |