Shanghai-based Juncell Therapeutics has announced plans to present groundbreaking preclinical research on an innovative pretreatment regimen for Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte (TIL) therapy at the upcoming American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in Chicago, April 25-30, 2025.
The clinical-stage biotech company's research demonstrates that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), a well-established medication commonly used for malaria and autoimmune conditions, could significantly enhance the tumor-killing efficacy of TIL therapy through a novel mechanism of action.
Hydroxychloroquine's Novel Role in Cancer Immunotherapy
According to the preclinical study, hydroxychloroquine works by elevating membrane MHC-I protein levels on tumor cells, which plays a crucial role in immune recognition. Importantly, the research shows that HCQ achieves this enhancement without negatively affecting TIL proliferation, a critical factor for successful cell therapy.
The study also revealed that HCQ's effect on surface PD-L1 expression was not significant when compared with interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), suggesting a potentially complementary mechanism to existing immunotherapy approaches.
"These results provide compelling preclinical evidence supporting the use of hydroxychloroquine as a pretreatment strategy for adoptive cell therapy using TILs in clinical trials," noted the company in their announcement.
Presentation Details at AACR 2025
The findings will be presented in a poster session at the AACR Annual Meeting with the title "Hydroxychloroquine increases the tumor killing efficiency via elevating the membrane MHC-I protein levels of tumor cells." The presentation is scheduled for April 29, 2025, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM CST in the Immunomodulatory Agents and Interventions session.
Juncell's Innovative Approach to TIL Therapy
Juncell Therapeutics specializes in developing IL-2-independent TIL therapies, addressing a significant limitation of conventional approaches that rely heavily on IL-2, which can cause severe toxicity and limit treatment efficacy.
The company has established proprietary technology platforms—DeepTIL® for cell expansion and NovaGMP® for gene modification—designed to overcome traditional challenges in TIL therapy by making treatments more robust, competent, affordable, and accessible.
Promising Clinical Results in Solid Tumors
Juncell's approach has already demonstrated significant promise in the clinical setting. Two of their clinical-stage TIL therapies have shown encouraging safety and efficacy profiles in treating ten types of heavily pretreated advanced solid tumors, including notoriously difficult-to-treat cancers such as:
- Lung cancer
- Triple-negative breast cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- High-grade glioma
- Ovarian cancer
- Endometrial cancer
- Cervical cancer
- Head and neck cancer
- Bile duct cancer
- Melanoma
Perhaps most remarkably, seven late-stage tumor patients have achieved complete response to Juncell's therapies, with the longest tumor-free survival extending beyond three years—an exceptional outcome for patients with advanced solid tumors who typically have limited treatment options.
Implications for Cancer Treatment
The exploration of hydroxychloroquine as a pretreatment for TIL therapy represents a potentially significant advancement in the field of cancer immunotherapy. By repurposing an established drug with a well-understood safety profile, this approach could accelerate clinical development timelines and potentially reduce treatment costs.
If validated in clinical trials, this pretreatment strategy could enhance the efficacy of TIL therapies across multiple cancer types, potentially expanding treatment options for patients with limited alternatives.
The company's focus on making TIL therapies more accessible addresses a critical need in the field, as current cell therapy approaches often face manufacturing challenges and high costs that limit their widespread adoption.
As Juncell Therapeutics continues to advance its pipeline, the upcoming presentation at AACR will provide the scientific community with valuable insights into this novel approach to enhancing cancer immunotherapy.
