# Cockroach and mouse allergy T cell phenotypes and their correlation with clinical status

> **NIH NIH U19** · LA JOLLA INSTITUTE FOR IMMUNOLOGY · 2021 · $418,205

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Our proposal focuses on cockroach (CR) and mouse (MO) allergens, dominant in inner city children
correlated with development of allergic asthma later on in life. We also rely on epitopes from other
allergens and tetanus toxoid (TT) and pertussis (PT) antigens, as important specificity controls. Our
studies will answer the RFA question: “Does the presence of T-cells with particular epitope
specificities differentiate allergic from non-allergic individuals?” We have already detected significant
differences, in both the CR and MO systems, supporting the rationale and feasibility of the proposed
work. We will define epitopes with reactivity in non-allergics and allergics with different disease
severities. We plan to next answer the questions; “In persons with allergy, do specific T-cell epitopes
differentiate between various clinical phenotypes or stages of disease severity? How important is the
immunologic phenotype of epitope-specific T-cells as a marker of clinical presentation?” We will study
samples taken over time from children from households at high-risk for asthma development. We will
count the number of allergen-specific T cells, and define their pattern of protein expression and
genetic profiles. Finally, we will ask: “How stable is the epitope-specific T-cell repertoire over time and
what are the clinical implications of natural alterations in the repertoire within individuals? Does
allergen exposure or AIT influence a particular group of epitope-specific T-cells?” Samples from
various donor cohorts will be characterized in terms of number of allergen-specific T cells, protein and
genetic profiles. We will study samples from the CoNAC (Cockroach Nasal Allergen Challenge) study,
performed by the ICAC network, in sensitized and non-sensitized donors. We will also examine
longitudinal samples from an in-house established cohort of donors that are MO non-sensitized but,
because of occupational duties, heavily exposed to MO allergens. Finally, we will study longitudinal
samples from immunotherapy clinical trials including individuals treated with CR extract or placebo.
We will measure the evolution of responses to CR allergens. In addition, we will measure responses
to other allergens to which donors are either sensitized or non-sensitized to establish whether
immunotherapy only modulates CR responses, or also modulates T cells specific for other allergens.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10083709
- **Project number:** 5U19AI135731-04
- **Recipient organization:** LA JOLLA INSTITUTE FOR IMMUNOLOGY
- **Principal Investigator:** Alessandro Sette
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $418,205
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-01-01 → 2022-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10083709

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10083709, Cockroach and mouse allergy T cell phenotypes and their correlation with clinical status (5U19AI135731-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10083709. Licensed CC0.

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