PD-1/CTLA-4 Blockade Leads to Expansion of CD8+PD-1int TILs and Results in Tumor Remission in Experimental Liver Cancer

Abstract

In our model, few doses of checkpoint inhibitors during the priming of transferred CD8⁺ tumor-specific T cells were sufficient to induce tumor remission. Therefore, PD-1/CTLA-4 blockade has an ameliorative effect on the expansion of recently primed CD8⁺ T cells while preventing their development into terminally exhausted CD8⁺ TILs in the TME. This finding could have important implications for future T-cell therapies.