基于文献计量学和可视化分析的 T 细胞耗竭研究领域趋势：2000 年至 2022 年的研究结果。

BACKGROUND: T cell exhaustion refers to a state wherein T cells become less functional as a result of their prolonged exposure to cognate antigens. A wealth of T cell exhaustion-focused research has been conducted in recent decades, transforming the current understanding of this biologically relevant process. However, there have not been any comprehensive bibliometric analyses to date focused on clarifying the T cell exhaustion-related research landscape. Here, a bibliometric analysis was thus conducted with the goal of better elucidating the current state of knowledge and emerging research hotspots in this field. METHODS: The Web of Science Core Collection was searched for articles and reviews related to T cell exhaustion, with the CiteSpace and VOSviewer programs then being employed to analyze the countries, institutions, authors, references, and keywords associated with studies in this research space. RESULTS: In total, 2676 studies were incorporated in this analysis, highlighting progressive annual increases in the number of T cell exhaustion-focused publications over the study period. These publications were affiliated with 3117 institutions in 85 countries, with the USA and China being the largest contributors to the field. Of the 18,032 authors associated with these publications, E. John Wherry exhibited the highest publication count and the greatest citation frequency. Keyword analyses indicated that immunotherapy, T cell exhaustion, and PD-1 are the dominant foci for T cell exhaustion-related research. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the importance of collaborations among institutions and nations in order to further propel novel studies of T cell exhaustion. Efforts to unravel the signal transduction and transcriptional mechanisms underlying the onset of T cell exhaustion were also identified as an emerging hotspot in this field. Ultimately, these results support the pivotal status of T cell exhaustion research as a key direction for immunotherapeutic research and development efforts in the coming years.

背景：T 细胞耗竭是指 T 细胞由于长期暴露于同源抗原而功能降低的状态。近几十年来，针对 T 细胞耗竭的研究层出不穷，极大地改变了人们对这一生物学相关过程的认识。然而，迄今为止，尚无任何全面的文献计量分析旨在阐明 T 细胞耗竭相关研究领域。因此，进行了这项文献计量分析，旨在更好地阐明该领域当前的知识状态和新兴研究热点。

方法：在 Web of Science 核心合集数据库中搜索与 T 细胞耗竭相关的文章和综述，然后使用 CiteSpace 和 VOSviewer 程序分析与该研究领域相关的国家、机构、作者、参考文献和关键词。

结果：共纳入 2676 项研究，突显了研究期间 T 细胞耗竭相关出版物数量的逐年稳步增长。这些出版物与 85 个国家的 3117 个机构有关，美国和中国是该领域最大的贡献者。在与这些出版物相关的 18032 位作者中，E. John Wherry 的发文量和被引频次最高。关键词分析表明，免疫疗法、T 细胞耗竭和 PD-1 是 T 细胞耗竭相关研究的主要焦点。

结论：这些发现强调了机构和国家之间合作的重要性，以进一步推动 T 细胞耗竭的新研究。揭示 T 细胞耗竭起始的信号转导和转录机制的努力也被确定为该领域的一个新兴热点。最终，这些结果支持 T 细胞耗竭研究作为未来免疫治疗研究和开发工作的关键方向的重要地位。