%0 Journal Article
%T Toxoplasma gondii infection supports the infiltration of T cells into brain tumors.
%A Nguyen YTM
%A Sibley L
%A Przanowski P
%A Zhao XY
%A Kovacs M
%A Wang S
%A Jones MK
%A Cowan M
%A Liu W
%A Merchak AR
%A Gaultier A
%A Janes K
%A Zang C
%A Harris T
%A Ewald SE
%A Zong H
%J J Neuroimmunol
%V 393
%N 0
%D 2024 Aug 15
%M 38996717
%F 3.221
%R 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2024.578402
%X Few T cells infiltrate into primary brain tumors, fundamentally hampering the effectiveness of immunotherapy. We hypothesized that Toxoplasma gondii, a microorganism that naturally elicits a Th1 response in the brain, can promote T cell infiltration into brain tumors despite their immune suppressive microenvironment. Using a mouse genetic model for medulloblastoma, we found that T. gondii infection induced the infiltration of activatable T cells into the tumor mass and led to myeloid cell reprogramming toward a T cell-supportive state, without causing severe health issues in mice. The study provides a concrete foundation for future studies to take advantage of the immune modulatory capacity of T. gondii to facilitate brain tumor immunotherapy.