New Updates and Guidelines in T Cell Nomenclature Relevant to Molecular Pathology

Has the rapid evolution of immune profiling outpaced our current T cell nomenclature? Advances in immunologic and cellular profiling methods, particularly high-dimensional flow cytometry, single-cell RNA sequencing, and spatial profiling, have been critical in revealing the biological heterogeneity of T cells. Yet while these technologies have accelerated discovery, they have also strained traditional T cell nomenclature, which relies on a limited number of broadly defined subsets. As a result, similar T cell populations may be labeled differently across studies, while identical terms may imply different biological properties depending on context.