Oct
6
2026
Upcoming webinar

From pleural T cells to patients: translating FastTIL research into first-in-human cell therapy

Tuesday 08:00 PDT / 11:00 EDT / 16:00 BST / 17:00 CEST
Sponsor
From pleural T cells to patients: translating FastTIL research into first-in-human cell therapy

A first-in-human trial for a new solid tumor T cell therapy now has US FDA IND approval, and this webinar presents the data that got it there. The therapy, FastTIL, draws its starting material from malignant pleural effusions, a source usually discarded as clinical waste. Across six consecutive patient samples, an automated cell isolation workflow generated 0.7–3.2 billion viable T cells in just 8–12 days, at 98.3% average purity and 97.6% average viability. These pleural infiltrating T cells stayed functional, showed no signs of exhaustion, and attacked patients' own tumors, the evidence behind the IND clearance.

Attend this webinar to learn how to:

  • Apply a rapid FastTIL workflow that produces clinical-scale doses of 0.7–3.2 billion viable T cells in just 8–12 days from pleural effusion samples
  • Evaluate tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte product quality using the purity, viability, cytotoxicity, and checkpoint and exhaustion marker data that underpinned the IND submission
  • Build a framework for using malignant pleural effusions as a starting material for solid tumor cell and gene therapy
  • Take away a translational roadmap for intrapleural administration that places therapeutic T cells directly at the tumor site, where they can encounter tumor antigens and potentially expand in vivo
Albert Donnenberg, PhD
Albert Donnenberg, PhD
Vice Chair for Translational Research at the Allegheny Singer Research Institute in the Allegheny Healthcare Network and Visiting Professor of Medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine

Dr. Albert Donnenberg is Vice Chair for Translational Research at the Allegheny Singer Research Institute within Allegheny Health Network and serves as a Visiting Professor of Medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine. A recognized leader in immunology, cellular therapy, and translational medicine, Dr. Donnenberg has dedicated his career to advancing innovative therapies from laboratory discovery to clinical application. Prior to joining Allegheny Health Network, he held faculty appointments at the University of Pittsburgh as Professor of Medicine and Professor of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology. He also directed the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Laboratories at UPMC and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and served as Director of Cellular Therapy at the UPMC Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Center.

Dr. Donnenberg earned his BA from the University of Colorado Boulder and his PhD in infectious disease epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. His research spans cancer stem cells, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, tumor immune microenvironments, regenerative medicine, flow cytometry, and next-generation cellular therapies. An active contributor to the scientific community, Dr. Donnenberg serves on editorial boards and reviews for leading journals in immunology, transplantation, and cellular therapy. He is a member of numerous professional societies and has received multiple honors recognizing his contributions to cytometry, hematology, regenerative medicine, and translational research. His work continues to drive innovations that bridge fundamental science and patient care.