Human T cells play a central role in the human response to tuberculosis and in efforts to develop better vaccines. For decades, it was thought that T cells only that recognize antigens in the context of a diverse array of presentation molecules such that an epitope could be considered private, or restricted to each patient or human donor. Therefore, broad detection or alteration of T cell responses to one kind of antigen in all humans was viewed as technologically impossible. Over the past decade “Donor Unrestricted T cells” (DURT) that recognize their antigens through highly conserved molecules that are present among all humans have been discovered. The CTVD DURT research community seeks to harness these donor unrestricted T cell responses to MR1, CD1 and HLA-E proteins for improved vaccines against TB.
The DURT research community is comprised of individuals from different Institutions worldwide and includes the following members:
| Tom |
Ottenhoff |
Co-chair |
| Chetan |
Seshadri |
Co-chair |
| John |
Altman |
Member |
| Erin |
Adams |
Member |
| Sam |
Behar |
Member |
| Yueh-hsiu |
Chien |
Member |
| Dan |
Hoft |
Member |
| Simone |
Joosten |
Member |
| Mitch |
Kronenberg |
Member |
| Dave |
Lewinsohn |
Member |
| Branch |
Moody |
Member |
| Louis |
Picker |
Member |
| Ann |
Rawkins |
Member |
| Jonah |
Sacha |
Member |
| Tom |
Scriba |
Member |
| Sally |
Sharpe |
Member |
| Emmanuel |
Treiner |
Member |
| Ildiko |
Van Rhijn |
Member |