Abbott 2025

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CHEO: Tumour Infiltrating Lymphocytes

While survival rates for children with cancer have improved significantly, many children, especially those with solid tumours, still need better treatment options. Immune-based therapies offer new promise.  Kindred is proud to co-fund the following research project as part of the CHEO Research Institute Awards:

Dr. Lesleigh Abbott and Dr. Shawn Beug at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO): “Creation of Tumour Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TILs) from Pediatric Cancers”

There is growing interest in treating cancer by helping the body’s own immune system destroy cancer cells, rather than relying only on harsh chemotherapy. One promising approach, called adoptive cell therapy, uses immune cells taken from a patient’s tumour.  These are called tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and are grown in the lab and then returned to the patient to fight the cancer.

This approach has already been approved for adults with melanoma, but important challenges remain, especially for children. In this project, the researchers aim to improve how these immune cells are grown and how well they work in pediatric cancers.  The goal is to bring safer and more effective treatments to children with advanced or hard-to-cure disease.