Dr. Asaf Madi, PhD is investigating tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), the immune T cells that naturally enter tumors and can kill cancer cells. In melanoma, doctors can collect a patient’s TILs, expand them in the lab, and infuse them back as a personalized treatment called adoptive cell transfer (ACT). While ACT can produce strong responses, many patients do not benefit, and others relapse because T cells become “exhausted” or are blocked by the tumor environment.
Dr. Madi’s lab studies the gene “circuits” that control how immune cells develop, activate, and shut down—internal programs that can determine whether T cells stay effective or lose their anti-tumor function. This project aims to (1) identify biomarkers that predict which patients are most likely to respond to TIL therapy, (2) uncover resistance mechanisms that prevent TILs from doing their job, and (3) optimize the mix of TILs and the methods used to expand them so the final cell product is stronger and longer-lasting.
By clarifying what makes TIL therapy succeed or fail and improving how therapeutic TILs are prepared, this research could help more melanoma patients respond to ACT and support durable immune control that lowers the risk of recurrence.
Projects and Grants
Refining TIL Therapy: Predicting Response and Overcoming Resistance in Melanoma Treatment
