{
  "id": 9437606,
  "title": "Scientists find the gene that drives T-cell exhaustion, revealing new strategy to improve immune responses",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/scientists-find-the-gene-that-drives-t-cell-exhaustion-revealing-new",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-23T23:00:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Medical Xpress",
    "slug": "medical-xpress",
    "url": "https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-scientists-gene-cell-exhaustion-revealing.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Scientists have identified a gene called ZMYND8 that plays a crucial role in T-cell exhaustion, a phenomenon that can hinder the effectiveness of immune responses. T-cell exhaustion occurs when CD8+ T cells, which are responsible for attacking cancerous or virus-infected cells, become overstimulated and lose their ability to function properly. This can render immunotherapy, which harnesses the power of a patient's immune system to treat diseases like cancer, less successful, particularly in treating pediatric solid tumors. The research, published in Nature, reveals that removing the ZMYND8 gene from CD8+ T cells can improve their function against tumors and chronic infections. This suggests that targeting ZMYND8 could be a promising strategy to enhance immune responses and overcome T-cell exhaustion, potentially leading to improved outcomes for patients receiving immunotherapy treatments.",
  "summary": "Immunotherapy, which uses a patient's immune system to treat disease, has increased survival for some adults and children with cancer. However, it has had limited success against many pediatric solid tumors, in part because T cells can become functionally impaired or \"exhausted.\" St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists published results in Nature showing that the gene ZMYND8 is a major…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}