We report here the adoptive transfer, to patients with metastatic melanoma, of highly selected tumorreactive T cells directed against overexpressed self-derived differentiation antigens after a nonmyeloablative conditioning regimen. This approach resulted in the persistent clonal repopulation of T cells in those cancer patients, with the transferred cells proliferating in vivo, displaying functional activity, and trafficking to tumor sites. This led to regression of the patients' metastatic melanoma as well as to the onset of autoimmune melanocyte destruction. This approach presents new possibilities for the treatment of patients with cancer as well as patients with human immunodeficiency virus-related acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and other infectious diseases.Immunotherapy of patients with cancer requires the in vivo generation of large numbers of highly reactive antitumor lymphocytes that are not restrained by normal tolerance mechanisms and are capable of sustaining immunity against solid tumors. Immunization of melanoma patients with cancer antigens can increase the number of circulating CD8 + cytotoxic T lymphocyte precursor cells (pCTLs), but to date this has not correlated with clinical tumor regression, suggesting a defect in function or activation of the pCTLs (1).Adoptive cell transfer therapies provide the opportunity to overcome tolerogenic mechanisms by enabling the selection and activation of highly reactive T cell subpopulations and by manipulation of the host environment into which the T cells are introduced. However, prior clinical trials, including the transfer of highly active antitumor T cell clones, failed to demonstrate engraftment and persistence of the transferred cells (2-5). Lymphodepletion can have a marked effect on the efficacy of T cell transfer therapy in murine models (6-9) and may depend on the destruction of regulatory cells, disruption of homeostatic T cell regulation, or abrogation of other normal tolerogenic mechanisms.To determine whether prior lymphodepletion might improve the persistence and function of adoptively transferred cells, 13 HLA-A2 + patients with metastatic melanoma received immunodepleting chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide and fludarabine for 7 days before the

Purpose Most treatments for patients with metastatic melanoma have a low rate of complete regression and thus overall survival in these patients is poor. We have investigated the ability of adoptive cell transfer utilizing autologous, tumor infiltrating lymphocytes to mediate durable complete regressions in heavily pre-treated patients with metastatic melanoma. Experimental Design Ninety-three patients with measurable metastatic melanoma were treated with the adoptive transfer of autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes administered in conjunction with interleukin-2 following a lymphodepleting preparative regimen on three sequential clinical trials. Ninety-five percent of these patients had progressive disease following a prior systemic treatment. Median potential followup was 62 months. Results Objective response rates by RECIST criteria in the three trials using lymphodepleting preparative regimens (chemotherapy alone or with 2Gy or 12Gy irradiation) were 49%, 52% and 72%. Twenty of the 93 patients (22%) achieved a complete tumor regression and 19 have ongoing complete regressions beyond three years The actuarial three and five year survivals for the entire group were 36% and 29% respectively but for the 20 complete responders were 100% and 93%. The likelihood of achieving a complete response was similar regardless of prior therapy. Factors associated with objective response included longer telomeres of the infused cells, the number of CD8+ CD27+ cells infused and the persistence of the infused cells in the circulation at one month (all p2<0.001). Conclusions Cell transfer therapy with autologous tumor infiltrating can mediate durable complete responses in patients with metastatic melanoma and has similar efficacy irrespective of prior treatment.

Limited evidence exists that humans mount a mutation-specific T cell response to epithelial cancers. We used a whole-exomic-sequencing-based approach to demonstrate that tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) from a patient with metastatic cholangiocarcinoma contained CD4+ T helper 1 (T(H)1) cells recognizing a mutation in erbb2 interacting protein (ERBB2IP) expressed by the cancer. After adoptive transfer of TIL containing about 25% mutation-specific polyfunctional T(H)1 cells, the patient achieved a decrease in target lesions with prolonged stabilization of disease. Upon disease progression, the patient was retreated with a >95% pure population of mutation-reactive T(H)1 cells and again experienced tumor regression. These results provide evidence that a CD4+ T cell response against a mutated antigen can be harnessed to mediate regression of a metastatic epithelial cancer.

A B S T R A C T PurposeAdoptive immunotherapy using tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes represents an effective cancer treatment for patients with metastatic melanoma. The NY-ESO-1 cancer/testis antigen, which is expressed in 80% of patients with synovial cell sarcoma and approximately 25% of patients with melanoma and common epithelial tumors, represents an attractive target for immune-based therapies. The current trial was carried out to evaluate the ability of adoptively transferred autologous T cells transduced with a T-cell receptor (TCR) directed against NY-ESO-1 to mediate tumor regression in patients with metastatic melanoma and synovial cell sarcoma. Patients and MethodsA clinical trial was performed in patients with metastatic melanoma or metastatic synovial cell sarcoma refractory to all standard treatments. Patients with NY-ESO-1-positive tumors were treated with autologous TCR-transduced T cells plus 720,000 iU/kg of interleukin-2 to tolerance after preparative chemotherapy. Objective clinical responses were evaluated using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST). ResultsObjective clinical responses were observed in four of six patients with synovial cell sarcoma and five of 11 patients with melanoma bearing tumors expressing NY-ESO-1. Two of 11 patients with melanoma demonstrated complete regressions that persisted after 1 year. A partial response lasting 18 months was observed in one patient with synovial cell sarcoma. ConclusionThese observations indicate that TCR-based gene therapies directed against NY-ESO-1 represent a new and effective therapeutic approach for patients with melanoma and synovial cell sarcoma. To our knowledge, this represents the first demonstration of the successful treatment of a nonmelanoma tumor using TCR-transduced T cells.