A comprehensive single-cell map of T cell exhaustion-associated immune environments in human breast cancer

Abstract Immune checkpoint therapy in breast cancer remains restricted to triple negative patients, and long-term clinical benefit is rare. The primary aim of immune checkpoint blockade is to prevent or reverse exhausted T cell states, but T cell exhaustion in breast tumors is not well understood. Here, we use single-cell transcriptomics combined with imaging mass cytometry to systematically study immune environments of human breast tumors that either do or do not contain exhausted T cells, with a focus on luminal subtypes. We find that the presence of a PD-1 high exhaustion-like T cell phenotype is associated with an inflammatory immune environment with a characteristic cytotoxic profile, increased myeloid…

• EC
  European Commission

  Award: 866074
• SN
  Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung

  Award: 310030_205007