The plasma membrane is an essential cellular structure that separates the cell interior from the extracellular environment, while allowing for the exchange of signals and materials that are essential for cell survival and function. The complexity of the lipids in the plasma membrane has been long appreciated, but recent developments in lipidomics and imaging technologies have improved our understanding of plasma membrane lipid dynamics. New studies have started to unveil important functions for plasma membrane lipids in regulating T cell signalling. Importantly, it has been shown that the modulation of membrane lipids can be used to harness T cell activity to treat cancer and autoimmunity. Therefore, lipid-based immunotherapy might be a promising new clinical strategy.

质膜是将细胞内部与细胞外环境分开的必不可少的细胞结构，同时允许交换对于细胞存活和功能必不可少的信号和材料。质膜中脂质的复杂性早已被人们所认识，但是脂质组学和成像技术的最新发展使我们对质膜脂质动力学的理解得到了提高。新的研究开始揭示质膜脂质在调节T细胞信号转导中的重要功能。重要的是，已显示出膜脂质的调节可用于利用T细胞活性来治疗癌症和自身免疫。因此，基于脂质的免疫疗法可能是一种有前途的新临床策略。