Restoring protein recycling helps exhausted T cells fight tumors again

MedicalXpress | avr. 30, 2026

T cells are crucial components of our immune system, serving as critical protectors against infection and disease. But there are limits to their defensive capabilities. T cells are not inexhaustible protectors. Often, when T cells have engaged in killing tumor cells, they burn out and lapse into a dysfunctional state known as T cell exhaustion. Rebounding from exhaustion—or avoiding it altogether—would greatly aid their disease-fighting success. Today, rescuing T cells from burnout and getting them back into cancer-fighting shape is a major focus of cancer immunotherapy efforts.