Metabolic reprograming of anti-tumor immunity

•Memory T cells have quiescent metabolism.•Activation of T cells triggers both glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation.•Elevated T cell metabolic activity is necessary at the tumor site to promote tumor killing.•High mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) is associated with cytokine production and capacity for cytotoxic function.•Metabolic reprogramming of T cells may improve TCR and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) based immunotherapy.

Immunotherapies designed to trigger T cell destruction of tumor cells can result in sustained and complete responses in patients whose cancers were resistant to available treatment options. Evidence suggests that powering the T cell response - how T cells generate energy - plays an important role in their effectiveness. Furthermore the metabolism of T cells can be modulated to improve their anti-cancer activities. In this review, we will discuss the key metabolic properties of anti-cancer T cells, along with potential strategies to enhance immunotherapy through the modulation of T cell metabolism.