This notion was strengthened by two functional demonstrations of the expanded cells: 1) compared to their PBMC counterparts, they showed augmented effector functions in response to anti-CD3/anti-CD28 stimulation, as indicated by the expression of CD107 activation marker and the production of granzyme B and IFN-γ; 2) they were able to effectively eliminate tumor cells in a co-culture system. The gene discussed is CD28; the disease is neoplasm.