# Topics and Trends in Most Cited Immune Cell Function and Interaction Papers, Class of 2026

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/immune-cell-function-and-interaction/2026*

## What topics and trends defined most-cited Immune Cell Function and Interaction research in the Class of 2026?

In 2024, research on Immune Cell Function and Interaction was defined by a strong focus on the tumor microenvironment and T cell exhaustion. The largest shifts were seen in the rising interest in CD8+ T cell exhaustion and CAR T cell persistence, reflecting a pivot towards understanding and overcoming limitations in cellular immunotherapies.

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Field | Immune Cell Function and Interaction |
| Cohort label | Class of 2026 (2024 publications) |
| Papers analyzed | 9,447 |
| Papers ranked | 20 |
| Top topics in ranked papers | Tumor microenvironment, T cell exhaustion, CD8+ T cells |
| Publication window | Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024 |
| Eligibility | Research articles; reviews excluded |
| Citation window | 18 months post-publication |
| 18m citation range | 105–236 |
| Data source | OpenAlex · Retrieved July 2026 |
| License | CC BY 4.0 |

## Rankings

| Rank | Title | Authors | Corresponding authors | Affiliation | Journal | 18m citations | DOI |
| ---: | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---: | --- |
| 1 | Safety, efficacy and determinants of response of allogeneic CD19-specific CAR-NK cells in CD19+ B cell tumors: a phase 1/2 trial | David Marin, Ye Li, Rafet Basar, Hind Rafei, May Daher, Jinzhuang Dou, Vakul Mohanty, Merve Dede, Yago Nieto, Nadima Uprety, Sunil Acharya, Enli Liu, Jeffrey Wilson, Pinaki Banerjee, Homer A Macapinlac, Christina Ganesh, Peter F Thall, Roland Bassett, Mariam Ammari, Sheetal Rao, Kai Cao, Mayra Shanley, Mecit Kaplan, Chitra Hosing, Partow Kebriaei, Loretta J Nastoupil, Christopher R Flowers, Sadie Mae Moseley, Paul Lin, Sonny Ang, Uday R Popat, Muzaffar H Qazilbash, Richard E Champlin, Ken Chen, Elizabeth J Shpall, Katayoun Rezvani | Katayoun Rezvani | The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, United States | Nature Medicine | 236 | 10.1038/s41591-023-02785-8 |
| 2 | Interleukin-15-armoured GPC3 CAR T cells for patients with solid cancers | David Steffin, Nisha Ghatwai, Antonino Montalbano, Purva Rathi, Amy N Courtney, Azlann B Arnett, Julien Fleurence, Ramy Sweidan, Tao Wang, Huimin Zhang, Prakash Masand, John M Maris, Daniel Martinez, Jennifer Pogoriler, Navin Varadarajan, Sachin G Thakkar, Deborah Lyon, Natalia Lapteva, Mei Zhuyong, Kalyani Patel, Dolores Lopez-Terrada, Carlos A Ramos, Premal Lulla, Tannaz Armaghany, Bambi J Grilley, Stephen Gottschalk, Gianpietro Dotti, Leonid S Metelitsa, Helen E Heslop, Malcolm K Brenner, Pavel Sumazin, Andras Heczey | Andras Heczey | Baylor College of Medicine, United States | Nature | 196 | 10.1038/s41586-024-08261-8 |
| 3 | LAG-3 and PD-1 synergize on CD8+ T cells to drive T cell exhaustion and hinder autocrine IFN-γ-dependent anti-tumor immunity | Lawrence P Andrews, Samuel C Butler, Jian Cui, Anthony R Cillo, Carly Cardello, Chang Liu, Erin A Brunazzi, Andrew Baessler, Bingxian Xie, Sheryl R Kunning, Shin Foong Ngiow, Yinghui Jane Huang, Sasikanth Manne, Arlene H Sharpe, Greg M Delgoffe, E John Wherry, John M Kirkwood, Tulia C Bruno, Creg J Workman, Dario A A Vignali | Dario A.A. Vignali | University of Pittsburgh, United States | Cell | 181 | 10.1016/j.cell.2024.07.016 |
| 4 | High-dimensional single-cell analysis of human natural killer cell heterogeneity | Lucas Rebuffet, Janine E Melsen, Bertrand Escalière, Daniela Basurto-Lozada, Avinash Bhandoola, Niklas K Björkström, Yenan T Bryceson, Roberta Castriconi, Frank Cichocki, Marco Colonna, Daniel M Davis, Andreas Diefenbach, Yi Ding, Muzlifah Haniffa, Amir Horowitz, Lewis L Lanier, Karl-Johan Malmberg, Jeffrey S Miller, Lorenzo Moretta, Emilie Narni-Mancinelli, Luke A J O'Neill, Chiara Romagnani, Dylan G Ryan, Simona Sivori, Dan Sun, Constance Vagne, Eric Vivier | Éric Vivier | Aix Marseille Université, France | Nature Immunology | 172 | 10.1038/s41590-024-01883-0 |
| 5 | Combined JAK inhibition and PD-1 immunotherapy for non–small cell lung cancer patients | Divij Mathew, Melina E Marmarelis, Caitlin Foley, Joshua M Bauml, Darwin Ye, Reem Ghinnagow, Shin Foong Ngiow, Max Klapholz, Soyeong Jun, Zhaojun Zhang, Robert Zorc, Christiana W Davis, Maximillian Diehn, Josephine R Giles, Alexander C Huang, Wei-Ting Hwang, Nancy R Zhang, Adam J Schoenfeld, Erica L Carpenter, Corey J Langer, E John Wherry, Andy J Minn | Divij Mathew, Melina E. Marmarelis, E. John Wherry, Andy J. Minn | University of Pennsylvania, United States | Science | 143 | 10.1126/science.adf1329 |
| 6 | Xist ribonucleoproteins promote female sex-biased autoimmunity | Diana R Dou, Yanding Zhao, Julia A Belk, Yang Zhao, Kerriann M Casey, Derek C Chen, Rui Li, Bingfei Yu, Suhas Srinivasan, Brian T Abe, Katerina Kraft, Ceke Hellström, Ronald Sjöberg, Sarah Chang, Allan Feng, Daniel W Goldman, Ami A Shah, Michelle Petri, Lorinda S Chung, David F Fiorentino, Emma K Lundberg, Anton Wutz, Paul J Utz, Howard Y Chang | Howard Y. Chang | Stanford University, United States | Cell | 133 | 10.1016/j.cell.2023.12.037 |
| 7 | Dysfunction of exhausted T cells is enforced by MCT11-mediated lactate metabolism | Ronal M Peralta, Bingxian Xie, Konstantinos Lontos, Hector Nieves-Rosado, Kellie Spahr, Supriya Joshi, B Rhodes Ford, Kevin Quann, Andrew T Frisch, Victoria Dean, Mary Philbin, Anthony R Cillo, Sebastian Gingras, Amanda C Poholek, Lawrence P Kane, Dayana B Rivadeneira, Greg M Delgoffe | Greg M. Delgoffe | University of Pittsburgh, United States | Nature Immunology | 130 | 10.1038/s41590-024-01999-3 |
| 8 | Depleting myeloid-biased haematopoietic stem cells rejuvenates aged immunity | Jason B Ross, Lara M Myers, Joseph J Noh, Madison M Collins, Aaron B Carmody, Ronald J Messer, Erica Dhuey, Kim J Hasenkrug, Irving L Weissman | Kim J. Hasenkrug, Irving L. Weissman | Stanford University, United States | Nature | 129 | 10.1038/s41586-024-07238-x |
| 9 | A blueprint for tumor-infiltrating B cells across human cancers | Jiaqiang Ma, Yingcheng Wu, Lifeng Ma, Xupeng Yang, Tiancheng Zhang, Guohe Song, Teng Li, Ke Gao, Xia Shen, Jian Lin, Yamin Chen, Xiaoshan Liu, Yuting Fu, Xixi Gu, Zechuan Chen, Shan Jiang, Dongning Rao, Jiaomeng Pan, Shu Zhang, Jian Zhou, Chen Huang, Si Shi, Jia Fan, Guoji Guo, Xiaoming Zhang, Qiang Gao | Jiaqiang Ma, Yingcheng Wu, Lifeng Ma, Xupeng Yang, Tiancheng Zhang, Jia Fan, Guoji Guo, Xiaoming Zhang, Qiang Gao | Fudan University, China | Science | 128 | 10.1126/science.adj4857 |
| 10 | IL-10-expressing CAR T cells resist dysfunction and mediate durable clearance of solid tumors and metastases | Yang Zhao, Jiangqing Chen, Massimo Andreatta, Bing Feng, Yu-Qing Xie, Mathias Wenes, Yi Wang, Min Gao, Xiaomeng Hu, Pedro Romero, Santiago Carmona, Jie Sun, Yugang Guo, Li Tang | Li Tang | École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland | Nature Biotechnology | 125 | 10.1038/s41587-023-02060-8 |
| 11 | Cancer SLC6A6-mediated taurine uptake transactivates immune checkpoint genes and induces exhaustion in CD8+ T cells | Tianyu Cao, Wenyao Zhang, Qi Wang, Chen Wang, Wanqi Ma, Cangang Zhang, Minghui Ge, Miaomiao Tian, Jia Yu, Anjun Jiao, Liang Wang, Manjiao Liu, Pei Wang, Zhiyu Guo, Yun Zhou, Shuyi Chen, Wen Yin, Jing Yi, Hao Guo, Hua Han, Baojun Zhang, Kaichun Wu, Daiming Fan, Xin Wang, Yongzhan Nie, Yuanyuan Lu, Xiaodi Zhao | Xin Wang, Yongzhan Nie, Yuanyuan Lu, Xiaodi Zhao | Fourth Military Medical University, China | Cell | 122 | 10.1016/j.cell.2024.03.011 |
| 12 | Blockade of LAG-3 and PD-1 leads to co-expression of cytotoxic and exhaustion gene modules in CD8+ T cells to promote antitumor immunity | Anthony R Cillo, Carly Cardello, Feng Shan, Lilit Karapetyan, Sheryl Kunning, Cindy Sander, Elizabeth Rush, Arivarasan Karunamurthy, Ryan C Massa, Anjali Rohatgi, Creg J Workman, John M Kirkwood, Tullia C Bruno, Dario A A Vignali | Anthony R. Cillo, John M. Kirkwood, Tullia C. Bruno, Dario A.A. Vignali | University of Pittsburgh, United States | Cell | 118 | 10.1016/j.cell.2024.06.036 |
| 13 | Dual impacts of serine/glycine-free diet in enhancing antitumor immunity and promoting evasion via PD-L1 lactylation | Huan Tong, Zedong Jiang, Linlin Song, Keqin Tan, Xiaomeng Yin, Chengyuan He, Juan Huang, Xiaoyue Li, Xiaofan Jing, Hong Yun, Guangqi Li, Yunuo Zhao, Qianlong Kang, Yuhao Wei, Renwei Li, Zhiwen Long, Jun Yin, Qiang Luo, Xiao Liang, Yanzhi Wan, Aiping Zheng, Nan Lin, Tao Zhang, Jiayi Xu, Xinggang Yang, Yuting Jiang, Yueyi Li, Yu Xiang, Yu Zhang, Lusi Feng, Zhen Lei, Hubing Shi, Xuelei Ma | Zhen Lei, Hubing Shi, Xuelei Ma | Sichuan University, China | Cell Metabolism | 117 | 10.1016/j.cmet.2024.10.019 |
| 14 | Antigen presentation by tumor-associated macrophages drives T cells from a progenitor exhaustion state to terminal exhaustion | Jessica Waibl Polania, Alexandra Hoyt-Miggelbrink, William H Tomaszewski, Lucas P Wachsmuth, Selena J Lorrey, Daniel S Wilkinson, Emily Lerner, Karolina Woroniecka, John B Finlay, Katayoun Ayasoufi, Peter E Fecci | Jessica Waibl Polania | Duke University, United States | Immunity | 116 | 10.1016/j.immuni.2024.11.026 |
| 15 | Identification of the novel exhausted T cell CD8 + markers in breast cancer | Hengrui Liu, Angela Dong, Ayana Meegol Rasteh, Panpan Wang, Jieling Weng | Panpan Wang, Jieling Weng | Jinan University, China | Scientific Reports | 116 | 10.1038/s41598-024-70184-1 |
| 16 | IL-10 constrains sphingolipid metabolism to limit inflammation | Autumn G York, Mathias H Skadow, Joonseok Oh, Rihao Qu, Quan D Zhou, Wei-Yuan Hsieh, Walter K Mowel, J Richard Brewer, Eleanna Kaffe, Kevin J Williams, Yuval Kluger, Stephen T Smale, Jason M Crawford, Steven J Bensinger, Richard A Flavell | Autumn G. York, Steven J. Bensinger, Richard A. Flavell | Yale University, United States | Nature | 115 | 10.1038/s41586-024-07098-5 |
| 17 | JAK inhibition enhances checkpoint blockade immunotherapy in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma | Jaroslav Zak, Isaraphorn Pratumchai, Brett S Marro, Kristi L Marquardt, Reza Beheshti Zavareh, Luke L Lairson, Michael B A Oldstone, Judith A Varner, Livia Hegerova, Qing Cao, Umar Farooq, Vaishalee P Kenkre, Veronika Bachanova, John R Teijaro | Jaroslav Žák, Veronika Bachanová, John R. Teijaro | University of Minnesota, United States | Science | 115 | 10.1126/science.ade8520 |
| 18 | Smoking changes adaptive immunity with persistent effects | Violaine Saint-André, Bruno Charbit, Anne Biton, Vincent Rouilly, Céline Possémé, Anthony Bertrand, Maxime Rotival, Jacob Bergstedt, Etienne Patin, Matthew L Albert, Lluis Quintana-Murci, Darragh Duffy, Milieu Intérieur Consortium | Violaine Saint‐André, Darragh Duffy | Institut Pasteur, France | Nature | 108 | 10.1038/s41586-023-06968-8 |
| 19 | CCL19-producing fibroblasts promote tertiary lymphoid structure formation enhancing anti-tumor IgG response in colorectal cancer liver metastasis | Yifan Zhang, Guangjian Liu, Qianwen Zeng, Wenrui Wu, Kai Lei, Chuankai Zhang, Miaoling Tang, Yuting Zhang, Xiao Xiang, Li Tan, Rui Cui, Si Qin, Xinming Song, Changjun Yin, Zhihang Chen, Ming Kuang | Changjun Yin, Zhihang Chen, Ming Kuang | Sun Yat-sen University, China | Cancer Cell | 107 | 10.1016/j.ccell.2024.07.006 |
| 20 | The type 2 cytokine Fc–IL-4 revitalizes exhausted CD8+ T cells against cancer | Bing Feng, Zhiliang Bai, Xiaolei Zhou, Yang Zhao, Yu-Qing Xie, Xinyi Huang, Yang Liu, Tom Enbar, Rongrong Li, Yi Wang, Min Gao, Lucia Bonati, Mei-Wen Peng, Weilin Li, Bo Tao, Mélanie Charmoy, Werner Held, J Joseph Melenhorst, Rong Fan, Yugang Guo, Li Tang | Rong Fan, Yugang Guo, Li Tang | École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland | Nature | 105 | 10.1038/s41586-024-07962-4 |

## Topic trends

### What Topics Define the Class of 2026?

The 2024 cohort for Immune Cell Function and Interaction is heavily anchored in understanding the complex dynamics within the tumor microenvironment. T cell exhaustion and the specific role of CD8+ T cells are the most dominant themes, reflecting a significant ongoing effort to characterize the states that limit antitumor immunity. Immune checkpoint blockade and PD-1/PD-L1 pathways remain foundational, indicating that researchers are continuing to refine and understand the mechanisms of established immunotherapies. The strong presence of these interrelated topics suggests the field's primary focus is on decoding the suppressive networks that tumors use to evade immune destruction, aiming to unlock more durable responses to therapies.

*Leading research themes*

### How Did Topics Shift from the Class of 2025 to the Class of 2026?

The most striking shift from the previous cohort is the explosive growth of specialized studies on CD8+ T cell exhaustion and CAR T cell persistence. Both topics emerged as major focal points, indicating a strategic pivot from broad immunotherapy applications towards addressing the specific challenges of therapeutic cell longevity and functional decline. We also see significant increases in studies involving IL-10 and combination immunotherapies. Conversely, broader terms like 'antitumor immunity' and 'cancer immunotherapy' saw a decline in relative frequency, suggesting that research has moved past general concepts and into highly specific, mechanistic investigations of immune cell interactions and therapeutic resistance.

*How topics shifted year over year*

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Immune Cell Function and Interaction Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/immune-cell-function-and-interaction/2026. Accessed 2026-07-16.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
```