Overview

• Two peer-reviewed Nature Immunology papers from a Doherty Institute-led team show lymph nodes sustain stem-like CD8+ T cells that seed cytotoxic responses to cancer and chronic infection.
• The studies find these progenitors arise in nodes rather than tumors or spleen, underscoring a distinct microenvironment for their survival and expansion.
• Molecular analysis identifies KLF2-linked pathways that drive effector differentiation during chronic infection and checkpoint blockade therapy.
• Researchers suggest lymph-node removal in cancer surgery could blunt immunotherapies including checkpoint inhibitors and CAR T cells, noting this hypothesis requires clinical testing.
• Planned next steps include analyzing samples from patients on immunotherapy through a Melanoma Research Victoria collaboration, with work conducted in animal models to date.