<p>Nature Communications, Published online: 17 March 2026; <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-70876-4">doi:10.1038/s41467-026-70876-4</a></p>Tumor-infiltrating T cells (TIL) are key mediators of the anti-tumor immune responses. However, chronic exposure to tumor antigens leads to the acquisition of an exhausted phenotype. Here, the authors present a bispecific T-cell engager that combines an anti-TIM-3 antibody with an IFN-α fusion protein (BiDT) and facilitates T cell-dendritic cells (DC) interactions. In preclinical mouse models, the enhanced T cell-DC crosstalk, dependent on CD28 co-stimulation and IL-2 signaling, boosts anti-tumor immunity and the generation of memory T cell responses.