Metabolic immunoengineering approaches to enhance CD8⁺ T cell-based cancer immunotherapy

Many cancer immunotherapies rely on robust CD8⁺ T cells capable of eliminating cancer cells and establishing long-term tumor control. Recent insights into immunometabolism highlight the importance of nutrients and metabolites in T cell activation and differentiation. Within the tumor microenvironment (TME), CD8⁺ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) undergo metabolic adaptations to survive but compromise their effector function and differentiation. Targeting metabolism holds promise for enhancing CD8⁺ T cell-mediated antitumor immunity. Here, we overview the metabolic features of CD8⁺ TILs and their impact on T cell effector function and differentiation. We also highlight immunoengineering strategies by leveraging the Yin-Yang of metabolic modulation for improving cancer immunotherapy.