# Viral transduction for T cell engineering in immunotherapy

**Authors:** Yikhyeon Seo, Jimin Pak, Jiyun Han, Joonbeom Bae, Soo Seok Hwang

PMC · DOI: 10.1016/j.mocell.2026.100311 · 2026-01-04

## TL;DR

This paper explains how to genetically modify T cells using viruses for immunotherapy research.

## Contribution

The paper offers practical guidance for T cell engineering, tailored for researchers familiar with mammalian cell culture.

## Key findings

- Viral transduction allows stable genetic modification of T cells for immunotherapy.
- T cell culture requires special considerations due to activation and proliferation nuances.
- The article provides a workflow for those new to T cell engineering.

## Abstract

Viral transduction of primary T cells enables stable genetic engineering for research and immunotherapy, supporting both transgene overexpression and gene deletion. Although the overall workflow can be similar to transduction in other mammalian cell lines, primary T cell culture imposes distinct requirements such as cell-state-dependent nuances shaped by T cell activation and proliferation, which can make it challenging to obtain a sufficient number of genetically engineered T cells. This article provides practical guidance for researchers new to T cells but familiar with basic mammalian cell culture.

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** Cd44 (CD44 antigen) [NCBI Gene 12505] {aka HERMES, Ly-24, Pgp-1}, Cd28 (CD28 antigen) [NCBI Gene 12487], Sell (selectin, lymphocyte) [NCBI Gene 20343] {aka CD62L, L-selectin, LAM-1, LECAM-1, LECAM1, Lnhr}, Cd247 (CD247 antigen) [NCBI Gene 12503] {aka 4930549J05Rik, A430104F18Rik, Cd3, Cd3-eta, Cd3-zeta, Cd3h}, Trav6-3 (T cell receptor alpha variable 6-3) [NCBI Gene 328483] {aka Gm13948, Gm193, Gm4, TCR}
- **Diseases:** toxicity (MESH:D064420), T (MESH:D001260)
- **Chemicals:** lipid (MESH:D008055), polyethylenimine (MESH:D011094), polybrene (MESH:D006583), PEG (MESH:D011092), Lipofectamine (MESH:C086724)
- **Species:** Mus musculus (house mouse, species) [taxon 10090]
- **Cell lines:** HEK293T — Homo sapiens (Human), Transformed cell line (CVCL_0063), E — Drosophila melanogaster (Fruit fly), Spontaneously immortalized cell line (CVCL_Z894)

## Figures

1 figure with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12856448/full.md

---
Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12856448