æ T cells: Major advances in basic and clinical research in tumor immunotherapy

gamma delta T cells are a kind of innate immune T cell. They have not attracted sufficient attention because they account for only a small proportion of all immune cells, and many basic factors related to these cells remain unclear. However, in recent years, with the rapid development of tumor immunotherapy, gamma delta T cells have attracted increasing attention because of their ability to exert cytotoxic effects on most tumor cells without major histocompatibility complex (MHC) restriction. An increasing number of basic studies have focused on the development, antigen recognition, activation, and antitumor immune response of gamma delta T cells. Additionally, gamma delta T cell-based immunotherapeutic strategies are being developed, and the number of clinical trials investigating such strategies is increasing. This review mainly summarizes the progress of basic research and the clinical application of gamma delta T cells in tumor immunotherapy to provide a theoretical basis for further the development of gamma delta T cell-based strategies in the future.