Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 26, 2025

Tumor Transplantation for Assessing the Dynamics of Tumor-Infiltrating CD8+ T Cells in Mice
Published on: June 12, 2021
The aged tumor microenvironment limits T cell control of cancer
Alex C Y Chen1,2,3,4, Sneha Jaiswal1,5, Daniela Martinez1,2,3,4
1Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Abstract:
The etiology and effect of age-related immune dysfunction in cancer is not completely understood. Here we show that limited priming of CD8+ T cells in the aged tumor microenvironment (TME) outweighs cell-intrinsic defects in limiting tumor control. Increased tumor growth in aging is associated with reduced CD8+ T cell infiltration and function. Transfer of T cells from young mice does not restore tumor control in aged mice owing to rapid induction of T cell dysfunction. Cell-extrinsic signals in the aged TME drive a tumor-infiltrating age-associated dysfunctional (TTAD) cell state that is functionally, transcriptionally and epigenetically distinct from canonical T cell exhaustion. Altered natural killer cell-dendritic cell-CD8+ T cell cross-talk in aged tumors impairs T cell priming by conventional type 1 dendritic cells and promotes TTAD cell formation. Aged mice are thereby unable to benefit from therapeutic tumor vaccination. Critically, myeloid-targeted therapy to reinvigorate conventional type 1 dendritic cells can improve tumor control and restore CD8+ T cell immunity in aging.
More Related Videos
07:44Studying the Effects of Tumor-Secreted Paracrine Ligands on Macrophage Activation using Co-Culture with Permeable Membrane Supports
Published on: November 28, 2019
09:01Analysis of Human T Cell Activity in an Allogeneic Co-Culture Setting of Pre-Treated Tumor Cells
Published on: March 7, 2025
Related Concept Videos
The Tumor Microenvironment
Tumor Immunotherapy
Cancer
Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Maintenance
Cancer stem cells are thought to originate from tissue-specific normal stem cells or progenitor cells. The normal stem cells usually reside in...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...