Stephen Carpenter, MD, PhD

Research Project:
Studying T Cell Responses to TB Could Assist Vaccine Development

Grant Awarded:

Innovation Award

Research Topics:

basic biologic mechanisms
biomarkers
clinical research
immunology immunotherapy

Research Disease:

tuberculosis

We have no reliable vaccine to prevent tuberculosis (TB), a disease that kills 1.5 million people every year globally. CD4 T cells are critical for protection against active TB. Determining the key functions and antigenic targets of T cell responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection would advance vaccine development efforts to prevent active TB. We seek to understand the T cell responses obtained from the lungs and blood of healthy individuals early after exposure to a household member with active pulmonary TB. Using cutting edge single-cell analyses, we will track and compare Mtb-specific T cells at early and late time points after exposure and infection. We will examine how T cell responses change over 3-12 months and estimate which T cell subsets efficiently respond to Mt-infected macrophages. This project will generate immunological benchmarks and candidate antigens for new TB vaccines.

Page last updated: October 7, 2024

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