ABSTRACT
Adoptive transfer of tumor-specific T cells as therapy for malignant neoplasms represents an attractive alternative to the treatment modalities, which include radiation, surgery, and chemotherapy. The therapy model which has been extensively studied in our laboratory involves the adoptive transfer of immune T cells into mice bearing disseminated leukemia. Particular emphasis has been devoted to the antigen specificity of tumor-reactive T cells and the mechanisms by which T cell subsets participate in tumor eradication. T cells can be divided into separable subsets with distinct requirements for activation, antigen recognition patterns, and functions. The use of cultured T cells in tumor therapy has the technical obstacle of requiring the expansion of specifically immune T cells initially present in low frequency to large numbers for adoptive therapy. Understanding which T cell subpopulation is activated by the tumor and participates in tumor eradication can provide insight into the mechanisms responsible for tumor eradication.
