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