NIH RePORTER
Cure8 regulatory brief
Why This Matters
This project seeks to clarify how gut microbes and diet drive CD4+ T cell responses—mechanisms that are central to intestinal tolerance and to diseases like IBD. A better map of TCR–antigen pairs and how tolerance breaks down could inform future diagnostics or immune-directed therapies.
Who Should Pay Attention
Researchers studying IBD, mucosal immunology, microbiome science, and single-cell genomics; clinicians interested in immune mechanisms of IBD; and translational scientists developing antigen-targeted or tolerance-restoring therapies.
Study Snapshot
Story typeRegulatory
Evidence typeFunded research project
Study statusFunded
Source depthResearch project record
What To Know
NIH Reporter summarizes a funded research project from Stanford that will map how microbiota and dietary antigens shape CD4+ T cell fate in the gut.
The team uses a 116-strain human-derived microbiota in gnotobiotic mice and a high-throughput single-cell platform to clone and test ~1,000 native T cell receptors (TCRs), aiming to define which antigens drive regulatory (Treg) versus effector CD4+ lineages.
The project has two main aims: (1) systematically define specificity across major intestinal CD4+ populations to test whether Treg induction is the common response to foreign antigens versus the idea that specific species preferentially induce effectors; and (2) examine how T cell phenotype and specificity change during acute and chronic intestinal inflammation.
The work will produce an atlas of TCR–antigen pairs and a platform useful for studying TCR specificity in complex antigenic settings. This brief is grounded in the NIH project abstract provided on the Reporter site and does not reflect independent review of unpublished data or full study results.
Keep In Mind
this is a funded research project (NIH Reporter project record) describing planned and ongoing work and preliminary results; it is not a completed clinical trial or peer-reviewed paper. Findings described are from the project abstract and preliminary data—not final validated clinical results.
Source Details
Review the original publication for the complete reporting, methods, and context.
Funded research project
Evidence type derived from source or registry metadata.
PublicationNIH RePORTER
AuthorsJeffrey J Bunker
InstitutionSTANFORD UNIVERSITY
Study typeFunded Research Project
Indexed viaNIH RePORTER
Source typeFunded research record
PublishedAug 3, 2026, 12:00 AM
Content availableResearch project record
Funding disclosed by the source: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - K99AI201798 - $166,425
This Cure8 brief is based on source text from the linked article. Cure8 is informational only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
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