Protocol to co-culture SCLC cells with human CD8⁺ T cells to measure tumor cell killing and T cell activation

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive malignancy with immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment limiting immunotherapy efficacy. Here, we present a protocol to assess T cell activation and the ability of lurbinectedin to enhance anti-tumor responses using in vitro co-cultures of SCLC cells and human CD8 T cells. We describe steps for cell seeding, treatment, co-culture setup, and assessing cell viability. This protocol provides a platform to study anti-tumor T cell responses and develop new SCLC therapies. For complete details on the use and execution of the protocol, please refer to Chakraborty et al.¹