The first ever “atlas” of T cells in the human body has been created, providing a unique view of how the cells function in the immune system of healthy individuals.

Researchers learned that T cells are highly compartmentalised, with each tissue having its own complement of T cells, and blood having its own specific type of T cells.

The new knowledge will be used to better understand how various tissues respond to site-specific and system diseases, and better inform the development of new vaccine strategies.