Perspectives in 2023

In this Perspective, the authors consider the distinct contributions made by T helper 2 cells and group 2 innate lymphoid cells during the course of a helminth infection. Although anti-helminth drugs are effective, reinfection is common and there are currently no available vaccines — a better understanding of T helper 2 cell and group 2 innate lymphoid cell interplay could lead to new anti-helminth strategies.

Epidemiological evidence indicates that physical exercise can lower cancer incidence and mortality. This Perspective discusses the importance of muscular activity for maintaining a healthy immune system and the potential mechanisms by which exercise affects anticancer immunity.

In this Perspective, Honjo and co-workers describe the discovery of PD1 and its journey to become a major target for cancer immunotherapy. It discusses the complex regulatory systems that govern PD1 expression as well as recent insights into PD1 function and the mechanisms of PD1-blocking therapies.

Koohy and co-workers discuss how we must turn to machine-learning approaches to define the antigen specificity of the many millions of possible T cell receptors. They review the models and methods currently being used to predict cognate antigens for orphan T cell receptors.

A disseminated tumour cell will grow only if it arrives at a ‘fertile’ distant site, which as Ana Luísa Correia posits is determined largely by the immune context at the site. Site-specific differences in local immune cell types, ratios and spatial locations influence whether a disseminated tumour cell establishes metastases or is kept dormant.