Isolation of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes by Ficoll-Paque Density Gradient Centrifugation

Yee Sun Tan1,2, Yu L Lei3,4,5

  • 1Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine, University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

With the renewed enthusiasm in immuno-oncology, characterization of the tumor immune microenvironment constitutes an essential and unique aspect to the assessment of therapeutics. The isolation of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) is a desirable approach toward the understanding of antitumor immune response. This chapter provides an effective protocol to mechanically dissociate tumor tissue and generate single-cell suspension from excised tumors. TILs are then isolated by Ficoll-Paque density gradient centrifugation. This protocol is applicable to both human and experimental tumors in immunocompetent murine models.

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