Future prospects for CD8+ regulatory T cells in immune tolerance

Abstract

CD8+ Tregs have been long described and significant progresses have been made about their phenotype, their functional mechanisms, and their suppressive ability compared to conventional CD4+ Tregs. They are now at the dawn of their clinical use. In this review, we will summarize their phenotypic characteristics, their mechanisms of action, the similarities, differences and synergies between CD8+ and CD4+ Tregs, and we will discuss the biology, development and induction of CD8+ Tregs, their manufacturing for clinical use, considering open questions/uncertainties and future technically accessible improvements notably through genetic modifications.