Natural killer cells and cytotoxic T-lymphocytes are required to clear solid tumor in a patient-derived-xenograft.

Existing patient-derived-xenograft (PDX) mouse models of solid tumors lack a fully tumor-donor matched, syngeneic, and functional immune system. We developed such a model by engrafting lymphopenic recipient mice with a fresh, undisrupted piece of solid tumor, whereby tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) persisted in the recipient mice for several weeks. Successful tumor engraftment was achieved in eighty-three to eighty-nine percent of tumor-infiltrating-lymphocytes-PDX (TIL-PDX) mice, and these were seen to harbor exhausted immuno-effector as well as functional immuno-regulatory cells persisting for at least six months post-engraftment. Combined treatment with interleukin-15 (IL-15) stimulation and immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) resulted in complete or partial tumor response in this model. Further, depletion of Cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs) and/or Natural Killer (NK) cells before combined immunotherapy revealed that both cell types were required for maximal tumor regression. Our novel TIL-PDX model provides a valuable resource for powerful mechanistic and therapeutic studies in solid tumors.