CD8+ T Cell Priming in Established Chronic Viral Infection Preferentially Directs Differentiation of Memory-like Cells for Sustained Immunity (Immunity)

How new T cell responses are mounted during chronic infection is unclear. Snell et al. demonstrate that unlike T cells primed at the onset of infection, CD8+ T cells primed after chronic viral infection is established are differentially programmed into less exhausted, TCF1+ memory-like cells that respond better to immunotherapy but diminish immunity to cancers that arise in chronic infection.