[TTT Roster]

The Transplantation, Tolerance, and Tumor Immunology study section reviews grant applications that are from basic, pre-clinical, and clinical investigators and involve transplantation, tumor immunology, and cellular and molecular mechanisms of immunoregulation as they impact transplantation, self-tolerance, or effective tumor immunity. The study section balances the biological and clinical perspectives in the study of transplantation.

Specific areas covered by TTT:

• Transplantation: TTT reviews applications focused on all immunologic aspects of the rejection (acute or chronic) of transplanted organs, tissues and cells, in animal models and humans, including clinical tissue transplantation procedures, the development of xenograft procedures, bone marrow reconstitution, and stem cell engraftments. In addition, TTT reviews applications investigating strategies for the development of transplantation tolerance in clinical settings, for example the induction of anergy to grafts and cells, mechanistic studies of immunosuppressive agents, the manipulation and suppression of graft versus host disease, immunity to pathogens in transplantation, and the role of major and minor histocompatibility antigens in survival of organ transplants.
  
  
• Tolerance: The TTT study section reviews applications that investigate the fundamental immunologic mechanisms maintaining and breaching tolerance to self and novel antigens. This would include the characterization and manipulation of regulatory immune cells and molecules, strategies for inducing tolerance to organ transplantation, characterization of cellular interactions that promote and suppress the induction of immune responses, mechanisms of immune regulation or tolerance as applied to autoimmunity or autoimmune disease, and cellular and effector mechanisms that regulate immunity against tumors and organ transplants and recombinant proteins.
  
  
• Tumor immunology: TTT reviews applications focused on the identification and characterization of tumor antigens, the induction of immune responses to tumors, tumor vaccine development, and strategies for the immunotherapy of cancer, including the induction of specific effector cells and molecules. In addition, TTT will be appropriate for applications on mechanisms of immune evasion and immunosuppression by tumors, bone marrow transplantation as an element in cancer therapy, and the regulation of deleterious autoimmune responses during anti-tumor therapies.

TTT has the following shared interests within the IMM IRG:

• With Cellular & Molecular Immunology A & B [CMIA & CMIB]: TTT shares interests with CMIA and CMIB regarding the development of immune (both self and foreign antigen) tolerance. Applications studying the mechanisms of tolerance induction during lymphocyte development may be referred to CMIA and CMIB, while immunoregulatory mechanisms of maintaining self-tolerance may be referred to TTT.
  
  
• With Hypersensitivity, Autoimmune, & Immune-mediated Diseases [HAI]: TTT shares an interest with HAI in the development of autoimmunity. TTT focuses on fundamental issues of tolerance such as repertoire selection and tolerance induction, while HAI focuses on specific autoimmune diseases.
  
  
• With Vaccines Against Microbial Diseases [VMD]: TTT shares an interest with VMD in the development of autoimmunity. TTT focuses on fundamental issues of tolerance such as repertoire selection and tolerance induction, while VMD focuses on vaccines against specific diseases.
  

TTT has the following shared interests outside the IMM IRG:

• With the Biobehavioral and Behavioral Processes [BBBP] IRG: Interactions of behavioral stress, emotion, personality, sickness behavior, and psychopathology with the immune system are shared interests. When such studies focus primarily on behavioral effects, they could be assigned to BBBP; when such studies focus primarily on immune effects they could be assigned to TTT.
  
• With the Oncological Sciences [ONC] IRG: TTT has a shared interest with ONC in the area of tumor immunology. TTT may review applications that are focused on the basic and pre-clinical aspects of tumor immunology, for example animal models of cancer, while ONC may focus on pre- clinical and translational grant applications. TTT also shares an interest with ONC in the area of bone marrow transplantation, where again basic and pre-clinical studies may be assigned to TTT and translational and clinical studies may be assigned to ONC.
  
• With the Hematology [HEME] IRG: TTT has a shared interest with HEME with regard to bone marrow transplantation. If the principal question is immunological, then TTT may be the appropriate review assignment. If the principal question is red blood cell and platelet production, then HEME may be the appropriate review assignment. Myelopoiesis is an area of shared interest between the IMM and HEME IRGs.
  
• With the Surgical Sciences, Biomedical Imaging, and Bioengineering [SBIB] IRG: TTT has a shared interest with SBIB in organ, tissue and cellular transplantation. Review of transplantation immunology, particularly applications involving immunoregulatory aspects of transplantation immunology, may be assigned to TTT. Transplantation applications that are focused on non-immunological questions such as organ preservation and organ allocation may be assigned to SBIB.
  
• With the Cardiovascular Sciences [CVS]; Endocrinology, Metabolism, Nutrition, and Reproductive Sciences [EMNR]; Musculoskeletal, Oral, and Skin Sciences [MOSS]; Digestive Sciences [DIG]; Respiratory Sciences [RES]; Renal and Urological Sciences [RUS]; Brain Disorders and Clinical Neuroscience [BDCN]; and Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Neuroscience [MDCN] IRGs: TTT has potential shared interests with several other study sections. Applications addressing organ-specific aspects of the physiology or pathology of transplantation, bacterial or dietary antigens, or immunity or tolerance could be assigned to the relevant organ-system IRG. Those addressing basic or general immunologic aspects of the physiology or pathology of transplantation, bacterial or dietary antigens, or tolerance could be assigned to TTT.