# Modeling the development, age structure and maintenance of T cell populations

> **NIH NIH R01** · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · 2020 · $370,574

## Abstract

   
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Maintaining diverse repertoires of naive and memory T cells provides vital protection against both novel and previously-encountered pathogens, and loss or dysregulation of these populations has catastrophic implications for health. However, while we have qualitative knowledge of the signals that influence T cell division and survival, we
lack an integrated understanding of the mechanisms that regulate the sizes and T cell receptor (TCR) diversities of T cell compartments. Solving this `immuno-ecology` problem, and developing validated, quantitative models of the dynamics of our T cell repertoires, will give a basis for therapies in many areas; reversing the collapse in TCR diversity with age, which may impair responses to vaccines and infections; aiding T cell reconstitution following bone marrow transplants; treating dis- orders that disrupt homeostasis, such as leukemia's and HIV infection; and designing vaccines that boost immunity without impairing T cell memory to other pathogens. The goals of this project are (i) to fully characterize the rules governing the incorporation of new cells from the thymus into our naive T cell pools, identify age-related heterogeneity in naive T cell kinetics, and establish the impact of such heterogeneity on cell's functional responsiveness; and (ii) to extend this focus to memory T cell subsets to identify the rules governing birth and death within each. To achieve these goals we will use a combination of mathematical modeling and dedicated experiments in mice, connecting our results to mechanisms of T cell homeostasis in humans wherever possible. Achieving the aims of this proposal will be a long stride towards our long-term goal of an integrated, validated and quantitative model of human T cell homeostasis.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9875420
- **Project number:** 5R01AI093870-12
- **Recipient organization:** COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** Andrew Yates
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $370,574
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2011-03-01 → 2021-09-16

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9875420

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9875420, Modeling the development, age structure and maintenance of T cell populations (5R01AI093870-12). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9875420. Licensed CC0.

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