The high (I)COSt of costimulation for exhausted T cells
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Updated: Sep 11, 2025

Measuring Mitochondrial Function of Naïve and Effector CD8 T Cells
Published on: March 28, 2025
Maria N de Menezes1, Ian A Parish1
1Cancer Immunology Program, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
ICOS agonists are being investigated for cancer immunotherapy based on the idea that they will reinvigorate exhausted CD8+ T cell anti-cancer immunity. Humblin et al. unexpectedly find the opposite-that CD8+ T cell-intrinsic ICOS expression restrains rather than promotes exhausted CD8+ T cell function in both chronic viral infection and tumor models.
ICOS agonists are being investigated for cancer immunotherapy based on the idea that they will reinvigorate exhausted CD8+ T cell anti-cancer immunity. Humblin et al. unexpectedly find the opposite-that CD8+ T cell-intrinsic ICOS expression restrains rather than promotes exhausted CD8+ T cell function in both chronic viral infection and tumor models.
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