ImmuneWatch CTO Pieter Meysman Featured in The Scientist: The Future of T-Cell Nomenclature

As T-cell biology advances, the language we use to describe it must evolve. We are pleased to announce that Pieter Meysman, CTO of ImmuneWatch, was recently featured in The Scientist to weigh in on the newly proposed guidelines for T-cell nomenclature.

For decades, researchers have categorised T-cells based on surface markers and cytokines. However, the advent of high-resolution technologies like single-cell TCR sequencing has revealed a heterogeneity that these old categories cannot capture. This impacts the field of computational immunology, where ambiguous definitions can complicate data integration and reproducibility across labs.

In the article, titled "T Cell Nomenclature Gets an Update", Pieter Meysman discusses the consensus statement published in Nature Reviews Immunology, which proposes a new modular approach to naming these cells. Pieter notes in the article that while the new guidelines are a positive step for reproducibility, the transition will come with challenges, particularly for bioinformatics tools built on legacy definitions.

"This is a really important thing going forward in the field, especially with regards to reproducibility," Pieter tells The Scientist.

He also highlights the difficulty of applying definitions largely derived from mouse models to human biology. This distinction is critical for researchers working on TCR antigen specificity and the development of effective human therapeutics.