CD8 T Cell Exhaustion During Chronic Viral Infection and Cancer

Exhausted CD8 T (Tex) cells are a distinct cell lineage that arise during chronic infections and cancers in animal models and humans. Tex cells are characterized by progressive loss of effector functions, high and sustained inhibitory receptor expression, metabolic dysregulation, poor memory recall and homeostatic self-renewal, and distinct transcriptional and epigenetic programs. The ability to reinvigorate Tex cells through inhibitory receptor blockade, such as αPD-1, highlights the therapeutic potential of targeting this population. Emerging insights into the mechanisms of exhaustion are informing immunotherapies for cancer and chronic infections. However, like other immune cells, Tex cells are…

• CR
  Cancer Research Institute
• UO
  University of Pennsylvania
• PH
  Public Health Agency of Canada

  Awards: -142832, NHC-142832
• PI
  Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy
• PH
  Public Health Agency
• NI
  National Institutes of Health

  Awards: AI105343, AI115712, AI112521, AI108545, AI117950, AI082630, AI117718
• CI
  Canadian Institutes of Health Research

  Awards: NHC-142832, 142832, -142832
• FD
  Fonds de Recherche du Québec - Santé