Upon the development of cancer and/or establishment of a chronic virus infection, the antigen-specific immune response plays a crucial role in the killing and clearance of affected cells. However, it is well established that T cells in these environments can enter a state of terminal exhaustion characterized by the loss of effector function, proliferative capacity, and increased sensitivity to apoptosis. Recent studies have demonstrated how the physical location (e.g. microenvironment or tissue localization) can influence the degree of exhaustion subsets of antigen-specific T cells may have while others have begun defining unique differentiation states of exhausted T cells in both humans and mice.
The discovery, implementation, and success of immune checkpoint blockade therapies designed to inhibit T cell exhaustion confirm the importance of this state in the effective treatment of patients, yet the failure of some patients to respond to treatment underscores the need for additional therapeutics. It is therefore of great interest to identify and understand the underlying mechanisms or environmental factors that drive the development of T cell exhaustion.
Articles submitted for consideration for this collection should focus on the discovery of novel intrinsic or extrinsic factors of T cell exhaustion, identification of therapeutic-based promoters or inhibitors of T cell exhaustion, or a comprehensive review of currently known drivers of T cell exhaustion. These can include:
1. The elucidation of differentiation states of T cell exhaustion;
2. The impact tissue microenvironments or tumor microenvironments have on T cell exhaustion development;
3. A focus on novel molecular- or cellular-based pathways that influence the development of T cell exhaustion.
Dr. Fraietta is the inventor of intellectual property licensed by the University of Pennsylvania to Novartis, receives research funding from Tmunity Therapeutics, and is the co-founder of DeCART Therapeutics. The other Topic Editor declares no competing interests with regards to the Research Topic theme
Note: Manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by validation (clinical cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this section.
Upon the development of cancer and/or establishment of a chronic virus infection, the antigen-specific immune response plays a crucial role in the killing and clearance of affected cells. However, it is well established that T cells in these environments can enter a state of terminal exhaustion characterized by the loss of effector function, proliferative capacity, and increased sensitivity to apoptosis. Recent studies have demonstrated how the physical location (e.g. microenvironment or tissue localization) can influence the degree of exhaustion subsets of antigen-specific T cells may have while others have begun defining unique differentiation states of exhausted T cells in both humans and mice.
The discovery, implementation, and success of immune checkpoint blockade therapies designed to inhibit T cell exhaustion confirm the importance of this state in the effective treatment of patients, yet the failure of some patients to respond to treatment underscores the need for additional therapeutics. It is therefore of great interest to identify and understand the underlying mechanisms or environmental factors that drive the development of T cell exhaustion.
Articles submitted for consideration for this collection should focus on the discovery of novel intrinsic or extrinsic factors of T cell exhaustion, identification of therapeutic-based promoters or inhibitors of T cell exhaustion, or a comprehensive review of currently known drivers of T cell exhaustion. These can include:
1. The elucidation of differentiation states of T cell exhaustion;
2. The impact tissue microenvironments or tumor microenvironments have on T cell exhaustion development;
3. A focus on novel molecular- or cellular-based pathways that influence the development of T cell exhaustion.
Dr. Fraietta is the inventor of intellectual property licensed by the University of Pennsylvania to Novartis, receives research funding from Tmunity Therapeutics, and is the co-founder of DeCART Therapeutics. The other Topic Editor declares no competing interests with regards to the Research Topic theme
Note: Manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by validation (clinical cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this section.
