2026
July
cDC1s serve as architects for the formation and maintenance of tumoral TLSs
July 29, 2026
The presence of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) in tumors is associated with improved outcomes and response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). Although the cell populations within these TLSs are well established, the precise contributions of DCs to TLS formation and maintenance remain largely unknown. Mattiuz et al. investigated this question using human tissue...
CARM1 inactivation in cDC1s completes the antitumor trifecta
July 22, 2026
Coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase (CARM1) is an epigenetic enzyme that controls transcription by methylating arginine residues of chromatin-associated proteins. In previous research, deletion or inhibition of CARM1 in tumor cells enhanced their IFNγ production and sensitized them to T cell-mediated cytotoxicity, while deletion or inhibition of CARM1 in T cells enhanced their effector functions...
Turning up the heat: iSBRT and immunotherapy induce immune reprogramming in cold breast tumors in the clinic
July 15, 2026
The tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) of ER+HER2- high-risk early breast cancer is generally immune-cold, which limits immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) responses. Since radiotherapy may modulate the immune response, it may increase ICB efficacy. However, radiotherapy may also activate the immunosuppressive CD73-adenosine pathway. Based on these hypotheses, De Caluwé et al. conducted a clinical...
Tregs versus Tconv: a battle over metastasis in PDAC
July 8, 2026
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive and difficult-to-treat-tumor type with complex immune dynamics and multiple immune evasion mechanisms at different stages of disease. In work recently published in Science Immunology, Schmiechen et al. unraveled the roles of IFNγ-inducible MHC-I, CD8+ T cells, Tregs, and conventional CD4+ T cells (Tconv) in promoting or...
Exhausted, yet effective: Eomes drives Th-mediated antitumor responses
July 1, 2026
While accumulating evidence suggests an important role for CD4+ T cells in antitumor immunity, the specific subpopulations responsible remain to be defined. Agesta, Ferrand, et al. investigated the function of the transcription factor Eomes in CD4+ T cell antitumor responses, and identified Eomes-responsive antitumor Th populations, with significant analogies to similar Eomes-responsive CD8+...
