Before and during TILs administration

TIL therapy involves several steps. The first is to obtain tumour tissue via a biopsy.   

Once the TIL therapy is prepared in the laboratory, the patient is admitted to the hospital. This admission is usually a week in advance, as immunosuppressive therapy needs to be administered before the TIL therapy is performed.  

On the day of TIL administration, the product is thawed in a controlled manner by an immunology specialist and administered to the patient. 

During TIL therapy infusion, the sensations are minimal, as with CAR-T therapy. The therapy is infused intravenously, using the same line the patient already uses once hospitalised. The only slightly strange sensation is unpleasant or “garlic” breath. This is because the substance used to freeze the cells is dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), which is highly volatile and eliminated through exhalation, with this characteristic odour and flavour.