Dissecting T-cell exhaustion heterogeneity and immune ecosystem dynamics in colorectal cancer through multi-omics machine learning
Zhijing Zhang, Peng Ouyang, Kai Cui, Jianqin Lai, Yixiang Wen, Xin Deng, Wanyu Chen, Zhenhong Xian, Qi Qi, Zhen Bao, Jin Gong, Xiao He · 2026
Read Dissecting T-cell exhaustion heterogeneity and immune ecosystem dynamics in colorectal cancer through multi-omics machine learning by Zhijing Zhang, Peng Ouyang, Kai Cui, Jianqin Lai, Yixiang Wen, Xin Deng, Wanyu Chen, Zhenhong Xian, Qi Qi, Zhen Bao, Jin Gong, Xiao He (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/PMC13543431.txt.
Description
Zhijing Zhang and co-authors published a 2026 study mapping T-cell exhaustion in colorectal cancer, where worn-out immune cells help tumours resist immunotherapy. Merging single-cell and bulk gene-expression data, the team traced how killer T cells slide along a spectrum of exhaustion inside tumours. Network analysis and ten machine-learning methods narrowed the signal to core genes, which were assembled into a risk score and checked in independent patient groups and in real tumour specimens.
The resulting score rests on five genes: KLF3, LMNA, SLC2A3, ARL4C, and TIMP1. High scores predicted poorer survival and a more immunosuppressive tumour neighbourhood. Laboratory staining confirmed the genes were expressed as predicted and sat alongside killer T cells in patient tissue. A five-gene readout of exhaustion could help clinicians sort colorectal patients by likely immunotherapy benefit and design combinations aimed at reviving tired T cells.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Zhijing Zhang, Peng Ouyang, Kai Cui, Jianqin Lai, Yixiang Wen, Xin Deng, Wanyu Chen, Zhenhong Xian, Qi Qi, Zhen Bao, Jin Gong, Xiao He |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 58267 |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |