Engineering Vaccines for Tissue-Resident Memory T Cells

In recent years, tissue-resident memory T cells (T RM ) have attracted significant attention in the field of vaccine development. Distinct from central and effector memory T cells, T RM cells take up residence in home tissues such as the lung or urogenital tract and are ideally positioned to respond quickly to pathogen encounter. T RM have been found to play a role in the immune response against many globally important infectious diseases for which new or improved vaccines are needed, including influenza and tuberculosis. It is also increasingly clear that T RM play a pivotal role in cancer immunity. Thus, vaccines that can generate this memory T cell population are highly desirable. The field of immunoengineering-that is, the application of engineering principles to study the immune system and design new and improved therapies that harness or modulate immune responses-is ideally poised to provide solutions to this need for next-generation T RM vaccines. This review covers recent developments in vaccine technologies for generating T RM and protecting against infection and cancer, including viral vectors, virus-like particles, and synthetic and natural biomaterials. In addition, it offers critical insights on the future of engineering vaccines for tissue-resident memory T cells.