Tissue-resident T Lymphocytes differ from those in the blood

It has not been understood until now how memory lymphocytes – the cells of the immune system that make us immune to previously encountered infections – survive, and how they can drive chronic inflammation. In this publication, we show that there are memory T lymphocytes that circulate through the body via the blood, but there are also memory T lymphocytes that are only found in specific tissues, such as the bone marrow. These cells differ in function and survival strategy, an important piece of information when it comes to specifically eliminating certain T lymphocytes in order to treat rheumatic inflammation while preserving the patient’s immune system.