Summary of work During cancer and chronic infections, T-cells that fight off disease can become exhausted, preventing the body from being able to control the disease effectively. In this paper, Parker Institute researchers at the University of Pennsylvania developed a method to better identify and characterize exhausted T-cells in cancer and HIV patients, using an approach that incorporates epigenetic and gene expression screens followed by mass cytometry. E. John Wherry, PhD, Parker Institute co-director at the University of Pennsylvania, is senior author and PICI project member Bertram Bengsch, PhD, is first author. Co-authors include Parker Bridge Scholar Alexander Huang, MD, PhD, and Pier Federico Gherardini, PhD, Parker Institute associate director of technology development. Why this is impactful to patients Understanding more about exhausted T-cells could prove helpful when creating new therapies that could aid cancer or HIV patients. “Interestingly, in this paper the scientists identify combinations of immunotherapy targets on exhausted T-cell populations that could lead to novel combinations of immuno-oncology drugs for testing in clinical trials,” said Nicholas Bayless, PhD, a Parker Institute research scientist on the informatics team.