Federal Grant Award Summary

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Inc. received an $880,417 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), effective February 13, 2026, with a completion date of January 31, 2031. The award supports research to define regulatory T cell (Treg) repertoire sustainability and dynamics. The project delivers fundamental immunological research services focused on understanding how Tregs maintain diverse T cell antigen receptor (TCR) repertoires essential for immune regulation, which has direct implications for autoimmune disease suppression and anti-tumor immunity.

The research products include the development and validation of novel mouse genetic tools—specifically RAG1CreER knock-in mice integrated with ROSA reporter systems and FOXP3LSL mice—designed to enable timestamp tracing and controlled manipulation of thymic T cell development. These tools enable investigators to track newly derived thymic T cells, investigate Treg generation and egress dynamics across multiple life stages, and characterize developmental heterogeneity of peripheral Treg repertoires in lymphoid and non-lymphoid organs. The deliverables support advanced analytical platforms that resolve critical knowledge gaps regarding Treg repertoire dynamics and sustainability, addressing technical challenges previously limiting the field's understanding of how regulatory T cell populations sustain immunological function over time.