Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 15, 2026

Development of Stem Cell-derived Antigen-specific Regulatory T Cells Against Autoimmunity
Published on: November 8, 2016
Therapeutic opportunities for manipulating T(Reg) cells in autoimmunity and cancer
Harald von Boehmer1, Carolin Daniel
1Laboratory of Lymphocyte Biology, Department of Cancer Immunology and AIDS, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. harald_von_boehmer@dfci.harvard.edu
Forkhead box P3 (FOXP3)-expressing regulatory T (T(Reg)) cells have a pivotal role in the regulation of immune responses and in the maintenance of immunological self-tolerance. These cells have emerged as attractive targets for strategies that allow the steering of immune responses in desired directions - arming the immune system to destroy infected cells and cancer cells or downregulating it to limit tissue destruction in autoimmunity. Efforts to understand the generation, activation and function of T(Reg) cells should permit the development of therapeutics for reprogramming the immune system. In this Review, we discuss insights into the generation of T(Reg) cells, their involvement in disease and the molecular basis of the dominant tolerance exerted by FOXP3(+) T(Reg) cells that could permit their safe and specific manipulation in humans.
Forkhead box P3 (FOXP3)-expressing regulatory T (T(Reg)) cells have a pivotal role in the regulation of immune responses and in the maintenance of immunological self-tolerance. These cells have emerged as attractive targets for strategies that allow the steering of immune responses in desired directions - arming the immune system to destroy infected cells and cancer cells or downregulating it to limit tissue destruction in autoimmunity. Efforts to understand the generation, activation and function of T(Reg) cells should permit the development of therapeutics for reprogramming the immune system. In this Review, we discuss insights into the generation of T(Reg) cells, their involvement in disease and the molecular basis of the dominant tolerance exerted by FOXP3(+) T(Reg) cells that could permit their safe and specific manipulation in humans.
Related Concept Videos
Tumor Immunotherapy
T Cell Types and Functions
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...
Cell-mediated Immune Responses
T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...

