# The role of Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells during the innate immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis

> **NIH NIH K08** · WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV · 2020 · $184,264

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
 Charles Kyriakos Vorkas, MD is a Fellow in Infectious Diseases at Weill Cornell
Medicine (WCM) and a member of the Glickman Laboratory, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer
Center (MSKCC) whose research interests focus upon Innate immunity during Mycobacterium
tuberculosis (Mtb) infection. He plans to pursue a career as a physician-scientist in the field of
Tuberculosis (TB) immunology.
 This proposal describes a five-year training program that will provide the candidate with
the knowledge and technical skills to achieve this goal. In addition to intensive laboratory-based
experimental training, the proposal includes regular meetings with an advisory committee of
experts, active involvement in academic conferences, and formal coursework. At the end of the
period of support, the candidate will be prepared to embark on a career as an independent
investigator.
 Little is known about the host factors that influence clearance of Mtb infection, control of
latency or progression to active disease. The candidates' work will focus on the role of mucosal-
associated invariant T (MAIT) cells in innate immunity to Mtb using an ex vivo MAIT cell activation
assay in Haitian donors. MAIT cells are MR1-restricted lymphocytes that recognize bacterially-
derived Vitamin B metabolites and data suggest that they act early at mucosal surfaces during
Mtb infection.
 The candidate will investigate immune correlates of resistance to Mtb infection through
analysis of three Haitian cohorts: (1) active TB patients (2) healthy household contacts of TB
patients and (3) healthy community volunteers without reported exposure.
 The candidate will also screen synthetic MR1 ligand analogs for effects on MR1
regulation and MAIT activation and test if they can restrict bacterial growth through priming MAIT
cells in a monocyte-derived macrophage co-culture model of Mtb infection.
 This study proposes to identify immune correlates of innate resistance to Mtb infection,
which may have direct translational applications for TB immunotherapy or vaccine design.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9925161
- **Project number:** 5K08AI132739-03
- **Recipient organization:** WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV
- **Principal Investigator:** Charles Kyriakos Vorkas
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $184,264
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-06-06 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9925161

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9925161, The role of Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells during the innate immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (5K08AI132739-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9925161. Licensed CC0.

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