长期感染和癌症导致免疫细胞的细胞耗竭。耗竭免疫细胞通过抑制性受体的上调和效应功能的减弱而表现出来，无法完全清除由于过度暴露而导致的抗原。在癌症环境中，这导致较小但持续存在的肿瘤负担，被称为局部肿瘤-免疫僵局。近年来的研究阐明了细胞耗竭的发展和进展的关键方面，并重新审视了先前的误解。生物学出版物也提供了有关耗竭细胞功能能力的见解。为了建立细胞耗竭和对实体肿瘤的局部僵局发展的数学框架，本文提出了一个模型。对该模型的分析显示，这种僵局是稳定的，并且能够处理小的扰动。此外，模型分析还提供了未来免疫治疗努力的潜在目标的见解。© 2023. 作者，独家授权给数学生物学协会。

Cellular exhaustion in various immune cells develops in response to prolonged stimulation and overactivation during chronic infections and in cancer. Marked by an upregulation of inhibitory receptors and diminished effector functions, exhausted immune cells are unable to fully eradicate the antigen responsible for the overexposure. In cancer settings, this results in a relatively small but constant tumor burden known as a localized tumor-immune stalemate. In recent years, studies have elucidated key aspects of the development and progression of cellular exhaustion and have re-addressed previous misconceptions. Biological publications have also provided insight into the functional capabilities of exhausted cells. Complementing these findings, the model presented here serves as a mathematical framework for the establishment of cellular exhaustion and the development of the localized stalemate against a solid tumor. Analysis of this model indicates that this stalemate is stable and can handle small perturbations. Additionally, model analysis also provides insight into potential targets of future immunotherapy efforts.© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Society for Mathematical Biology.