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Updated: May 4, 2026
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Tailoring In Vivo Cytotoxicity Assays to Study Immunodominance in Tumor-specific CD8+ T Cell Responses
Published on: May 6, 2019
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T cell avidity and tumor immunity: problems and solutions.
Arthur A Hurwitz1, Steven M Cuss, Katherine E Stagliano
1Tumor Immunity and Tolerance Section, Cancer and Inflammation Program, National Cancer Institute, 211 Building 567, NCI-Frederick, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA, hurwitza@mail.nih.gov.
Summary
T cell avidity is key for durable anti-tumor immunity. This review explores how T cell avidity impacts anti-tumor responses and discusses optimal thresholds and potential adverse effects in models and human trials.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Oncology
- T cell biology
Background:
- A strong T cell response is crucial for long-lasting anti-tumor immunity.
- T cell avidity, the binding strength to tumor antigens, is a key measure of T cell response quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the relationship between T cell avidity and anti-tumor immunity.
- To clarify the threshold for effective anti-tumor immunity and adverse effects of high avidity.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of experimental model systems.
- Analysis of human clinical trial data.
Main Results:
- T cell avidity influences the potency of anti-tumor immune responses.
- The optimal avidity threshold for effective tumor immunity is not clearly defined.
- Inappropriately high T cell avidity may lead to adverse effects.
Conclusions:
- Understanding T cell avidity is critical for developing effective cancer immunotherapies.
- Further research is needed to determine optimal T cell avidity levels for maximizing anti-tumor efficacy while minimizing toxicity.
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