Federal Grant Award Summary

Cornell University's Office of Sponsored Programs received a $233,441 Project Grant awarded July 17, 2026, by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855). The award, with a completion date of June 30, 2028, funds research investigating the genetic drivers of CD8+ T cell activation and proliferation. The research leverages the Diversity Outbred (DO) mouse model—a genetically diverse, multi-parental mouse population—to identify and characterize genetic variation in CD8+ T cell behavior across activation, proliferation, and differentiation pathways. This approach addresses a critical gap in existing immunological research, which has relied primarily on single-genetic-background mouse strains, by systematically screening DO mice for phenotypes associated with CD8+ T cell immune responses.

The project delivers mechanistic insights into how genetic variation regulates immune cell "fate timers" that control cell division initiation, proliferation extent, differentiation, and death programming. Through extensive flow cytometric analysis of naive samples and detailed in vitro stimulation experiments combined with mathematical modeling techniques, the research produces definitive parameters characterizing CD8+ T cell behavior. These findings advance fundamental understanding of adaptive immune defense mechanisms and support the optimization of T cell-based immunotherapies by identifying previously unknown regulators of immune cell fate in genetically diverse populations.