Clinical Impact Forum: Tumour Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TILs)

ABOUT THE WEBINAR

Tumour‑infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy has demonstrated tremendous promise in the treatment of solid cancers by harnessing a patient’s own tumor‑reactive immune cells to drive targeted anti‑tumor responses. In a major clinical milestone, the FDA approval of the first TIL therapy in 2024 In a major clinical milestone, the FDA approval of the first TIL therapy in 2024 — representing the first cellular therapy approved for a solid tumour (advanced melanoma) — has catalyzed renewed interest and momentum in this field. 

Join us for an engaging virtual panel bringing together a clinician with industry experience in the TIL space, a patient who has undergone TIL therapy, and a cell manufacturing expert. Together, they will explore the clinical significance of this advancement, its real-world impact on patients, and the evolving landscape of care. The discussion will also highlight advances in TIL manufacturing and scalability, examine the challenges and opportunities in integrating TIL therapy into clinical practice, and consider future directions, including expanding applications beyond melanoma to other solid tumour indications.

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KEY LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Clinical significance of recent regulatory approvals and what they mean for patients and providers
  • Advances in TIL manufacturing and scalability
  • Current challenges and opportunities in integrating TIL therapy into clinical practice
  • Real-world impact of TILs as a treatment option for patients
  • Future directions, such as expanding TIL applications beyond melanoma to other solid tumour indications
 WEBINAR CHAIRS

Thane Kubik, MD, MS
Cellular Therapy and Transfusion Medicine Physician and General Pathologist
Alberta Precision Laboratories
Canada

Rachel Burga, PhD
Associate Director, Cell Therapy
Johnson & Johnson
United States

 WEBINAR SPEAKERS

Darin Sumstadr, MLS
 Technical Lead, Cell Therapy Clinical Laboratory
University of Minnesota, M Health Fairview
United States

Darin Sumstad currently serves as a Technical Specialist in the M Health, Fairview, University of Minnesota Medical Center, Cell Therapy Laboratory. The Cell Therapy Clinical Laboratory performs somatic cell and tissue graft engineering for hematopoietic transplantation and immune adoptive therapies in support of the Blood and Marrow Transplant program.


Graduating in 1999 with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Medical Technology from the University of Minnesota, he has over 25 years of experience in cell and tissue manufacturing.  As a Technical Specialist, he is responsible for product development and technology transfer from the research environment to GMP production and during this time has been involved with the successful scale-up and manufacturing of over 60 INDs/IDEs. Mr. Sumstad’s expertise in process optimization expands across a wide array of technologies and cell types ranging from cell expansion and cell and tissue culturing techniques, equipment selection, to cell selection, cryopreservation, QC assay development, and tumor lysate techniques.  Past development projects he has worked on include iPSC reprograming and differentiation, natural killer cells, regulatory T cells, mesenchymal stem cells, cardiac derived stem cells, vascular tissue scaffolds, creation of master cell banks and dendritic cell production.  His interests include translational development, data management, and cell processing automation.

Madan Jagasia, MD, MS
 Chief Executive Officer
Obsidian Therapeutics
United States

Madan Jagasia, M.D., M.S., is Obsidian’s Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Jagasia is a highly experienced physician executive with an extensive oncology and cell therapy-focused clinical background and deep industry experience developing tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) treatments for cancer. Prior to joining Obsidian, Dr. Jagasia was Executive Vice President, Medical Affairs at Iovance Biotherapeutics, where he was responsible for managing national medical affairs, strategic congress planning, advocacy, strategic alliances and external research collaborations. Before Iovance, he was Chief Medical Officer and Executive Medical Director of Cancer Patient Care Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC), where he co-led Translational Research and Interventional Oncology Research Program at VICC. Dr. Jagasia began his career as a faculty member in the Division of Hematology-Oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Jagasia has his M.B.B.S from the GS Medical College & KEM Hospital, an M.S. and a Master of Management in Health Care from Vanderbilt University.

Lindsay Held
 Mucosal Melanoma Survivor
United States