Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy marks a milestone in cancer treatment

The recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of lifileucel, the first commercial tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy for advanced melanoma, marks a significant breakthrough in cancer therapy. In a new commentary published in Cancer Cell, Moffitt Cancer Center scientists provide a comprehensive overview of the therapy’s development and highlight its transformative potential.

“TIL therapy represents a major advancement in personalized cancer treatment, offering new possibilities for patients with treatment-resistant cancers,” said Amod Sarnaik, M.D., lead author and senior member of the Cutaneous Oncology Department at Moffitt.

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy has been in development for several decades. Preclinical studies evaluating its efficacy began at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in the early 1980s. James J. Mulé, IPh.D., a renowned immunologist and associate center director of Translational Science at Moffitt, brought TIL research to the cancer center in 2003. Since then, Moffitt has played a pivotal role in developing and validating the immunotherapy.

In 2010, Moffitt opened its first TIL trials, the first center outside of the NCI to treat patients with the investigational therapy. This initial study, treating 13 patients with advanced metastatic melanoma, yielded promising results: five responses, including two complete responses lasting beyond five years. The commentary examines Moffitt’s subsequent clinical trials, which aimed to address the high dropout rate due to disease progression during TIL manufacturing. These trials combined TIL therapy with newly approved anti-melanoma agents, significantly reducing the dropout rate from 32% to 5%.

Moffitt is also working on the next generation of TIL therapy. Shari Pilon-Thomas, Ph.D., and other immunologists at the center are investigating innovative ways to stimulate and improve TIL therapy growth and manufacturing and determine the best infusion timing to ensure optimal patient outcomes. Moffitt researchers are also expanding this therapeutic approach to treat other solid tumor cancer types, such as lung, sarcoma, cervical and bladder.

“We are at the beginning of unlocking the potential of T-cell and cell therapies for treating advanced cancers. The FDA’s approval of lifileucel is a monumental step to inspire further investment and innovation in T-cell therapies, particularly TIL therapy,” said Moffitt President and CEO Patrick Hwu, M.D. “Our pioneering research at Moffitt into next-generation TIL therapies aims to extend these lifesaving treatments to a broader range of cancer patients.”

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Urgent action needed as malaria resists key drug

Malaria parasites that can shrug off the effects of artemisinin are now well-established in East Africa.

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How the UK planned for the wrong pandemic

Over-confidence, wasted opportunities and muddled-thinking left UK sleep-walking into Covid.

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UK ‘failed citizens’ with flawed pandemic plans

First report from Covid Inquiry says better planning would have saved lives and lessened economic costs.

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Liz Truss Writes To Civil Service Again Over ‘Matter Of Deep Concern To British Public’

Liz Truss has spoken up once again about her name appearing in an official briefing document this week, claiming this should be a “matter of deep concern to the British public”.

The former PM lodged an official complaint on Wednesday with the country’s most senior civil servant, Simon Case, after she was mentioned three times in briefing documents published for the King’s Speech.

Her “disastrous” mini-Budget was referenced repeatedly in the notes, which still are available on the official government website.

Case has since directed officials to remove the Truss’s name.

But less than 24 hours later, the ex-PM published yet another letter asking him to investigate further about how her name appeared in the official documents, with eight follow-up questions.

She asked: “Have you opened an investigation into how this happened?

“Who was the senior civil servant who gave final sign-off to the document?

“How many other civil servants had sight of the errant pages before they went to press?”

She also asked if there was a “breach of the Civil Service code” by mentioning her name and if any civil servants found to be responsible would be held to account.

“How many physical copies of the errant document were printed and have you made efforts to recover and pulp unissued copies of it?” Truss added.

She also asked if the opinion of a think tank attacking a politician could be regarded as a “key fact” in a document, and added: “Will you share the conclusions of whatever investigation you are undertaking?”

Truss said she is “very disturbing” her name made it into the Civil Service document, and “impugned my name without evidence”.

She continued: “That not a single person who drafted, edited, proofed or signed off so significant a document saw fit to challenge the slurs against me would only go to suggest that there is a settled view in Whitehall which accepts the narrative of my political opponents without challenge.

“This should be a matter of deep concern to the British public.”

All mentions of Truss in the briefing notes appear to have been pulled after she complained yesterday.

The online documents previously said Labour were planning on rolling out a Budget Responsibility Bill which would “ensure that the mistakes of Liz Truss min-Budget cannot repeated” with a “fiscal lock”.

Another reference said: “The fiscal lock is intended to capture and prevent those announcements that could resemble the disastrous mini-Budget.”

The final one said: “The Institute for Government have said that ’Rachel Reeves has made welcome moves to improve fiscal policy making – Liz Truss’s autumn mini-Budget is a lesson in how not to do fiscal policy.”

Truss lost her seat in the general election as part of the humiliating Tory defeat.

She has since flown to the US to endorse Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for the upcoming presidential election.

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Security Experts Warn That Young People Are At Risk Of Revenge Porn

New research into revenge porn has revealed that young people are at the risk of abuse.

The report, conducted by major cybersecurity firm Kaspersky with support from the Revenge Porn Helpline, a UK charity helping adult victims of intimate image abuse, is the largest ever to understand the extent of the intimate image abuse (or ‘revenge porn’) problem globally.

While younger generations tend to think that they are more tech-savvy than their elders, the study has revealed a fundamental shift in attitudes towards online sharing of intimate images.

Of the poll of over 9 thousand people worldwide, a quarter admitted that they have shared images of themselves with people they are chatting to, with the number increasing to 50% amongst 25–34-year-olds.

Security experts urge people to take caution when sharing intimate images

A third of the UK respondents confirmed that they either know somebody who has survived revenge porn or have actually experienced it themselves. The report also highlighted that this form of abuse is particularly pronounced among younger generations, with 69% of 16-24 year-olds and 63% of 25-34 year-olds reporting such experiences.

David Emm, Principal Security Researcher, Kaspersky, said: “Our research highlights the increasing normalisation of a critical societal issue: the public, especially younger individuals, are sharing intimate images in increasing numbers without considering the consequences.

“Over the past 25 years, technology has made capturing and sharing such images effortless, and there have been significant shifts in behaviour and attitudes towards online dating, accelerating the trend of sharing intimate messages.”

Emm advised that awareness of the risks that are being taken can empower people to make more informed digital choices.

How to protect yourself against revenge porn

The experts urge people to follow this advice to stay safe:

  • Think before you post. Be mindful of who you share your data with and when. Always consider how the content you share online might be interpreted and used by others
  • Understand which messengers are safe and which have end-to-end encryption
  • If you think you are a victim of revenge porn, keep evidence, and report it to the police and platforms where you believe your data is available
  • Always check the permission settings on the apps you use, to minimise the likelihood of your data being shared or stored by third parties – and beyond – without your knowledge
  • Use a reliable security solution like Kaspersky Password Manager to generate and secure unique passwords for every account; resist the temptation to reuse the same one
  • Utilise StopNCII.org, a global online tool to help protect intimate images from being shared online across some of the most widely used platforms across the world

Help and support:

If you, or someone you know, is in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police. If you are not in immediate danger, you can contact:

  • The Freephone 24 hour National Domestic Violence Helpline, run by Refuge: 0808 2000 247
  • In Scotland, contact Scotland’s 24 hour Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline: 0800 027 1234
  • In Northern Ireland, contact the 24 hour Domestic & Sexual Violence Helpline: 0808 802 1414
  • In Wales, contact the 24 hour Life Fear Free Helpline on 0808 80 10 800.
  • National LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0800 999 5428
  • Men’s Advice Line: 0808 801 0327
  • Respect helpline (for anyone worried about their own behaviour): 0808 802 0321
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This Photo Of Female Labour MPs Reveals Another Bleak Reality For The Tory Benches

A new photo of the Labour Party has put the Tories’ electoral defeat in another, rather unflattering light.

All of the female MPs elected for Labour gathered for a historic image in Westminster Hall this week, making it pretty clear for their political opponents just how many of them there are.

In fact, there are 189 female Labour MPs now – almost half of the total 411 seats it won in the election.

That’s more than there are Tory MPs (of any gender) in this parliament.

It’s yet another blow to the beleaguered Conservatives, who already endured their worst-ever electoral defeat.

Having secured just 121 seats in the election, the Conservatives now have 29 female MPs – that works out to less than a quarter of its total parliamentary party, a detail which did not escape Labour MPs and party supporters online.

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In 1924 there was uproar in the press when the newly-elected Ellen Wilkinson appeared in Parliament in a green dress. Goodness knows what they’d have made of Labour’s 190 women MPs a hundred years on! pic.twitter.com/L8x7rdnNIO

— Nan Sloane (@NanSloane) July 18, 2024

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In 1924 there was uproar in the press when the newly-elected Ellen Wilkinson appeared in Parliament in a green dress. Goodness knows what they’d have made of Labour’s 190 women MPs a hundred years on! pic.twitter.com/L8x7rdnNIO

— Nan Sloane (@NanSloane) July 18, 2024

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What an phenomenal sight to behold!

We now have 190 @UKLabour women MPs. That’s more than all the Tories MPs.

And our diversity is growing and growing!

Excited to see and feel what a difference a Labour Government will make to my constituents in Brent and the country pic.twitter.com/7ZgMrTNQLz

— Dawn Butler ✊🏾💙 (@DawnButlerBrent) July 17, 2024

","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Dawn Butler ✊🏾💙","author_url":"https://twitter.com/DawnButlerBrent","cache_age":86400,"description":"What an phenomenal sight to behold! We now have 190 @UKLabour women MPs. That’s more than all the Tories MPs.And our diversity is growing and growing!Excited to see and feel what a difference a Labour Government will make to my constituents in Brent and the country pic.twitter.com/7ZgMrTNQLz— Dawn Butler ✊🏾💙 (@DawnButlerBrent) July 17, 2024\n\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","title":"Dawn Butler ✊🏾💙 on Twitter / X","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/DawnButlerBrent/status/1813568883275792638","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"originalEdition":"uk","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"6699184be4b0e9707971bdef","entryPermalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/labour-mps-photo-reveals-harsh-truth-about-tory-benches_uk_6699184be4b0e9707971bdef","entryTagsList":"government,labour,conservatives,@ai_seo_headline","sectionSlug":"politics","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"uk.politics","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc140cf94592c45d7390c","disabledWithMapiEntries":false,"overrides":{"all":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4"},"whitelisted":["56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439","56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529","570278d2e4b070ff77b98217","57027b4be4b070ff77b98d5c","56fe95c4e4b0041c4242016b","570279cfe4b06d08e3629954","5ba9e8821c2e65639162ccf1","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e","5b35266b158f855373e28256","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2","60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","60d0de02b627221e9d819408"],"playlists":{"default":"57bc306888d2ff1a7f6b5579","news":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","politics":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","entertainment":"56c6e7f2e4b0983aa64c60fc","tech":"56c6f70ae4b043c5bdcaebf9","parents":"56cc65c2e4b0239099455b42","lifestyle":"56cc66a9e4b01f81ef94e98c"},"playerUpdates":{"56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439":"60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b":"60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529":"60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced":"60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e":"60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2":"60d0de02b627221e9d819408"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"8b034f64-513c-4987-b16f-42d6008f7feb","clickToPlayPlayer":"5a777b9b-81fe-41a6-8302-59e9953ee8a2","videoPagePlayer":"19654b65-409c-4b38-90db-80cbdea02cf4"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":7},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":0},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"6699184be4b0e9707971bdef","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-uk"},"tags":[{"name":"government","slug":"government","links":{"relativeLink":"news/government","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/government","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/government"},"relegenceSubjectId":4941492,"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/government/"},{"name":"labour","slug":"labour","links":{"relativeLink":"news/labour","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/labour","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/labour"},"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"Labour Party","slug":"labour-party","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/labour-party/"},{"name":"Conservatives","slug":"conservatives","links":{"relativeLink":"news/conservatives","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/conservatives","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/conservatives"},"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"Conservative Party","slug":"conservative-party","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/conservative-party/"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

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What an phenomenal sight to behold!

We now have 190 @UKLabour women MPs. That’s more than all the Tories MPs.

And our diversity is growing and growing!

Excited to see and feel what a difference a Labour Government will make to my constituents in Brent and the country pic.twitter.com/7ZgMrTNQLz

— Dawn Butler ✊🏾💙 (@DawnButlerBrent) July 17, 2024