# Function and regulation of mucosal associated invariant T cells in the lung

> **NIH NIH R01** · RBHS-ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON MEDICAL SCHOOL · 2021 · $519,683

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
 Asthma remains a serious public health threat with unmet therapeutic needs. The
development of successful therapies relies a more in-depth understanding of the immune
subsets and pathways involved. MAIT cells are innate-like T cells that recognize microbial
riboflavin metabolites presented by MR1 and can function through both TCR dependent and
independent pathways. Interestingly, previous studies indicated an inverse association between
MAIT cells and human asthma. The precise role of MAIT cells in asthma development and
exacerbation, however, remains unknown. We hypothesize that a deficiency of MAIT cells in
asthma patients contributes to exacerbated airway inflammatory responses to allergen and
other stimulus, and that increasing MAIT cell numbers may help prevent asthma development
and exacerbation. Using fresh lung samples from deceased organ donors, we will examine the
abundance, heterogeneity and function of lung-resident MAIT cells in severe asthma patients
and control individuals without lung diseases. We will use MAIT cell deficient mice and adoptive
transfer strategies to interrogate the specific roles of MAIT cells in allergen and air pollutant-
induced airway inflammation. Finally, we will test whether boosting the number of MAIT cells by
an engineered probiotic strain can help prevent severe asthma development and exacerbation.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10531769
- **Project number:** 7R01HL155021-02
- **Recipient organization:** RBHS-ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON MEDICAL SCHOOL
- **Principal Investigator:** Qi yang
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $519,683
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2021-11-24 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10531769

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10531769, Function and regulation of mucosal associated invariant T cells in the lung (7R01HL155021-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10531769. Licensed CC0.

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