Researchers at the University of British Columbia reported a reproducible method to produce human helper (CD4+) T cells from pluripotent stem cells, a longstanding manufacturing bottleneck for engineered cell therapies. The results, published in Cell Stem Cell, show controlled differentiation protocols that yield multiple immune cell types reliably and at scale. Helper T cells coordinate immune responses, supporting killer T cells, B cells and sustaining antitumor immunity; manufacturing them from stem cells is seen as a key step toward affordable, off‑the‑shelf living drugs. The team said the approach can reduce reliance on patient‑derived cells and shorten production timelines for cell therapies across oncology, infectious disease and autoimmune indications. The finding addresses a technical manufacturing hurdle rather than clinical efficacy and will require process optimization and regulatory scrutiny before being applied in late‑stage trials or commercial manufacturing.