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We discover using microphysiological systems and\n                  <jats:italic>in vivo<\/jats:italic>\n                  models that transmigration through confined pores induces acute loss of programmed cell death 1 within minutes of surface immune checkpoint markers on CD8+ T cells through ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal degradation, corresponding with enhanced fitness and function. Such imprints and its underlying mechanism of programmed cell death 1 loss are conserved across species and applicable to human TIL and CAR T cells, and are correlative with disease outcomes in human melanoma. Our findings establish the diverse tissues landscapes that T cells traverse during immunosurveillance, and specifically transmigration, as a form of mechanical immune regulation, and reveal a mechano-modulatory strategy to improve the quality and persistence of engineered or patient-derived T cells for adoptive immunotherapy.\n                <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.64898\/2026.07.03.736145","type":"posted-content","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,9]],"date-time":"2026-07-09T17:45:42Z","timestamp":1783619142000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Confined T cell migration controls programmed cell death 1 expression"],"prefix":"10.64898","author":[{"given":"Yunus","family":"Alapan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"George W. 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