Clonally expanded antigen-specific CD8+ T cells from an HIV-1-infected patient were reprogrammed to to pluripotency. The T cell-derived induced pluripotent stem cells were then redifferentiated into CD8+ T cells that had a high proliferative capacity and elongated telomeres. These “rejuvenated” cells possessed antigen-specific killing activity and exhibited T cell receptor gene-rearrangement patterns identical to those of the original T cell clone from the patient.

T Nishimura et al., https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.stem.2012.11.002; RIKEN press release, Jan 4, 2013