John D. Altman, PhD

Research Program

Cancer Immunology
Phone Number

404-727-5981
Email Address

jaltman@rmy.emory.edu

Biography

John D. Altman, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Altman is a member of the Cancer Immunology Research Program at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University.

Education

Dr. Altman earned his PhD in pharmaceutical chemistry from the University of California, San Francisco, and completed his postdoctoral training at Stanford University.

Titles & Roles

Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Emory University School of Medicine
CFAR Investigator, Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Emory University School of Medicine

Research

Dr. Altman pioneered the development of tetramer reagents, which can be customized for individual studies to provide extremely precise measures of immune response. He heads the Tetramer Core, funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases as a service for NIH-approved investigators throughout the U.S. He also directs the Emory CFAR Immunology Core, which provides immunology assay service for investigators through Emory's Center for AIDS Research.

Grants

View Grants

Grant Number	Title
75N93020D00005-0-759302000001-1	NIH TETRAMER CORE FACILITY (HIV/AIDS)
75N93020D00005-0-759302000001-2	NIH TETRAMER CORE FACILITY (INFECTIOUS DISEASES OTHER THAN HIV/AIDS)
75N93020D00005-0-759302000003-1	NIH TCF Dev and Prod of SARS-CoV-2 Spike tetramers for B Cell Detection
75N93020D00005-P00002-759302000001-1	NIH TETRAMER CORE FACILITY (HIV/AIDS)
75N93020D00005-P00002-759302000001-2	NIH TETRAMER CORE FACILITY (INFECTIOUS DISEASES OTHER THAN HIV/AIDS)
75N93020D00005-P00003-759302000001-1	NIH TETRAMER CORE FACILITY (HIV/AIDS)
75N93020D00005-P00003-759302000001-2	NIH TETRAMER CORE FACILITY (INFECTIOUS DISEASES OTHER THAN HIV/AIDS)
75N93020D00005-P00004-759302000001-1	NIH TETRAMER CORE FACILITY (HIV/AIDS)
75N93020D00005-P00004-759302000001-2	TASK A-1: NIH TETRAMER CORE FACILITY (INFECTIOUS DISEASES OTHER THAN HIV/AIDS)
75N93020D00005-P00005-759302000001-1	NIH TETRAMER CORE FACILITY (HIV/AIDS)
75N93020D00005-P00006-759302000001-1	NIH TETRAMER CORE FACILITY (HIV/AIDS)

Publications

Title/Journal	Authors	Publication Date
Rare variable M. tuberculosis antigens induce predominant Th17 responses in human infection. JCI insight	P Ogongo, L Wassie, A Tran, D Columbus, J Huffaker, L Sharling, G Ouma, SG Ouma, K Bobosha, CS Lindestam Arlehamn, NR Gandhi, SC Auld, J Rengarajan, CL Day, A Queiroz, M Araújo-Pereira, E Fukutani, BB Andrade, JD Altman, HM Blumberg, JD Ernst	03/23/2026
Frequency-potency analysis of IgG+ memory B cells delineates neutralizing antibody responses at single-cell resolution. Cell reports	MK Tenggara, SH Oh, C Yang, HK Nariya, AM Metz, AA Upadhyay, DR Gudipati, L Guo, EG McGhee, K Gill, EG Viox, RD Mason, NA Doria-Rose, KE Foulds, JR Mascola, Y Du, H Fu, JD Altman, Q Yan, Z Sheng, SE Bosinger, R Kong	03/26/2024
Rare Variable M. tuberculosis Antigens induce predominant Th17 responses in human infection. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology	P Ogongo, L Wassie, A Tran, D Columbus, L Sharling, G Ouma, SG Ouma, K Bobosha, CS Lindestam Arlehamn, NR Gandhi, SC Auld, J Rengarajan, CL Day, JD Altman, HM Blumberg, JD Ernst	03/06/2024
CD1 lipidomes reveal lipid-binding motifs and size-based antigen-display mechanisms. Cell	S Huang, A Shahine, TY Cheng, YL Chen, SW Ng, GR Balaji, R Farquhar, S Gras, CS Hardman, JD Altman, N Tahiri, AJ Minnaard, GS Ogg, JA Mayfield, J Rossjohn, DB Moody	10/12/2023
The Long-Awaited Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine. Journal of interferon & cytokine research : the official journal of the International Society for Interferon and Cytokine Research	JD Altman, BT Rouse	07/01/2023
Spheromers reveal robust T cell responses to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and attenuated peripheral CD8⁺ T cell responses post SARS-CoV-2 infection. Immunity	F Gao, V Mallajosyula, PS Arunachalam, K van der Ploeg, M Manohar, K Röltgen, F Yang, O Wirz, R Hoh, E Haraguchi, JY Lee, R Willis, V Ramachandiran, J Li, KR Kathuria, C Li, AS Lee, MM Shah, SB Sindher, J Gonzalez, JD Altman, TT Wang, SD Boyd, B Pulendran, P Jagannathan, KC Nadeau, MM Davis	04/11/2023
T cells in COVID-19 - the kids are all right. Nature immunology	JD Altman	05/01/2022
Minimal Information about MHC Multimers (MIAMM). Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950)	R Vita, A Mody, JA Overton, S Buus, ST Haley, A Sette, V Mallajosyula, DL Long, RA Willis, B Peters, JD Altman	02/01/2022
CD1a selectively captures endogenous cellular lipids that broadly block T cell response. The Journal of experimental medicine	RN Cotton, M Wegrecki, TY Cheng, YL Chen, N Veerapen, J Le Nours, DP Orgill, B Pomahac, SG Talbot, R Willis, JD Altman, A de Jong, I Van Rhijn, RA Clark, GS Besra, G Ogg, J Rossjohn, DB Moody	07/05/2021
T Cells Specific for a Mycobacterial Glycolipid Expand after Intravenous Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Vaccination. Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950)	ED Layton, S Barman, DB Wilburn, KKQ Yu, MT Smith, JD Altman, TJ Scriba, N Tahiri, AJ Minnaard, M Roederer, RA Seder, PA Darrah, C Seshadri	03/15/2021
Production of Class II MHC Proteins in Lentiviral Vector-Transduced HEK-293T Cells for Tetramer Staining Reagents. Current protocols	RA Willis, V Ramachandiran, JC Shires, G Bai, K Jeter, DL Bell, L Han, T Kazarian, KC Ugwu, O Laur, S Contreras-Alcantara, DL Long, JD Altman	02/01/2021
Schistosoma mansoni Infection Is Associated With a Higher Probability of Tuberculosis Disease in HIV-Infected Adults in Kenya. Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999)	TA McLaughlin, A Nizam, FO Hayara, GS Ouma, A Campbell, J Khayumbi, J Ongalo, SG Ouma, NS Shah, JD Altman, D Kaushal, J Rengarajan, JD Ernst, HM Blumberg, LA Waller, NR Gandhi, CL Day, D Benkeser	02/01/2021
Human skin is colonized by T cells that recognize CD1a independently of lipid. The Journal of clinical investigation	RN Cotton, TY Cheng, M Wegrecki, J Le Nours, DP Orgill, B Pomahac, SG Talbot, RA Willis, JD Altman, A de Jong, G Ogg, I Van Rhijn, J Rossjohn, RA Clark, DB Moody	01/04/2021
Isoniazid and Rifapentine Treatment Eradicates Persistent Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Macaques. American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine	TW Foreman, AN Bucşan, S Mehra, C Peloquin, LA Doyle, K Russell-Lodrigue, NR Gandhi, J Altman, CL Day, JD Ernst, HM Blumberg, J Rengarajan, D Kaushal	02/15/2020
MHC-I peptide binding activity assessed by exchange after cleavage of peptide covalently linked to β2-microglobulin. Analytical biochemistry	MM Jurewicz, RA Willis, V Ramachandiran, JD Altman, LJ Stern	11/01/2019
The Frequency of Vaccine-Induced T-Cell Responses Does Not Predict the Rate of Acquisition after Repeated Intrarectal SIVmac239 Challenges in Mamu-B08⁺* Rhesus Macaques. Journal of virology	MA Martins, L Gonzalez-Nieto, YC Shin, A Domingues, MJ Gutman, HS Maxwell, DM Magnani, MJ Ricciardi, N Pedreño-Lopez, VK Bailey, JD Altman, CL Parks, DB Allison, K Ejima, EG Rakasz, S Capuano, RC Desrosiers, JD Lifson, DI Watkins	03/01/2019
Clinical Events After Deferral of LAD Revascularization Following Physiological Coronary Assessment. Journal of the American College of Cardiology	S Sen, Y Ahmad, HM Dehbi, JP Howard, JF Iglesias, R Al-Lamee, R Petraco, S Nijjer, R Bhindi, S Lehman, D Walters, J Sapontis, L Janssens, CJ Vrints, A Khashaba, M Laine, E Van Belle, F Krackhardt, W Bojara, O Going, T Härle, C Indolfi, G Niccoli, F Ribichini, N Tanaka, H Yokoi, H Takashima, Y Kikuta, A Erglis, H Vinhas, PC Silva, SB Baptista, A Alghamdi, F Hellig, BK Koo, CW Nam, ES Shin, JH Doh, S Brugaletta, E Alegria-Barrero, M Meuwissen, JJ Piek, N van Royen, M Sezer, C Di Mario, RT Gerber, IS Malik, ASP Sharp, S Talwar, K Tang, H Samady, J Altman, AH Seto, J Singh, A Jeremias, H Matsuo, RK Kharbanda, MR Patel, P Serruys, J Escaned, JE Davies	02/05/2019
Casting a wider net: Immunosurveillance by nonclassical MHC molecules. PLoS pathogens	MP D'Souza, E Adams, JD Altman, ME Birnbaum, C Boggiano, G Casorati, YH Chien, A Conley, SBG Eckle, K Früh, T Gondré-Lewis, N Hassan, H Huang, L Jayashankar, AG Kasmar, N Kunwar, J Lavelle, DM Lewinsohn, B Moody, L Picker, L Ramachandra, N Shastri, P Parham, AJ McMichael, JW Yewdell	02/01/2019
A T-cell receptor escape channel allows broad T-cell response to CD1b and membrane phospholipids. Nature communications	A Shahine, P Reinink, JF Reijneveld, S Gras, M Holzheimer, TY Cheng, AJ Minnaard, JD Altman, S Lenz, J Prandi, J Kubler-Kielb, DB Moody, J Rossjohn, I Van Rhijn	01/04/2019
Mamu-B17⁺ Rhesus Macaques Vaccinated with env, vif, and nef* Manifest Early Control of SIVmac239 Replication. Journal of virology	MA Martins, DC Tully, N Pedreño-Lopez, B von Bredow, MG Pauthner, YC Shin, M Yuan, NS Lima, DJ Bean, L Gonzalez-Nieto, A Domingues, MJ Gutman, HS Maxwell, DM Magnani, MJ Ricciardi, VK Bailey, JD Altman, DR Burton, K Ejima, DB Allison, DT Evans, EG Rakasz, CL Parks, MC Bonaldo, S Capuano, JD Lifson, RC Desrosiers, TM Allen, DI Watkins	08/15/2018
Empty conformers of HLA-B preferentially bind CD8 and regulate CD8⁺ T cell function. eLife	J Geng, JD Altman, S Krishnakumar, M Raghavan	05/09/2018
A High Throughput Whole Blood Assay for Analysis of Multiple Antigen-Specific T Cell Responses in Human Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection. Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950)	WE Whatney, NR Gandhi, CS Lindestam Arlehamn, A Nizam, H Wu, MJ Quezada, A Campbell, S Allana, MM Kabongo, J Khayumbi, B Muchiri, J Ongalo, J Tonui, LE Sasser, TJ Fergus, GS Ouma, SG Ouma, AA Beck, MJ Mulligan, A Oladele, D Kaushal, KP Cain, L Waller, HM Blumberg, JD Altman, JD Ernst, J Rengarajan, CL Day	04/15/2018
T cell autoreactivity directed toward CD1c itself rather than toward carried self lipids. Nature immunology	KS Wun, JF Reijneveld, TY Cheng, K Ladell, AP Uldrich, J Le Nours, KL Miners, JE McLaren, EJ Grant, OL Haigh, TS Watkins, S Suliman, S Iwany, J Jimenez, R Calderon, KL Tamara, SR Leon, MB Murray, JA Mayfield, JD Altman, AW Purcell, JJ Miles, DI Godfrey, S Gras, DA Price, I Van Rhijn, DB Moody, J Rossjohn	04/01/2018
Synthesis, stabilization, and characterization of the MR1 ligand precursor 5-amino-6-D-ribitylaminouracil (5-A-RU). PloS one	K Li, CK Vorkas, A Chaudhry, DL Bell, RA Willis, A Rudensky, JD Altman, MS Glickman, J Aubé	01/01/2018
Ontogeny of the B- and T-cell response in a primary Zika virus infection of a dengue-naïve individual during the 2016 outbreak in Miami, FL. PLoS neglected tropical diseases	MJ Ricciardi, DM Magnani, A Grifoni, YC Kwon, MJ Gutman, ND Grubaugh, K Gangavarapu, M Sharkey, CGT Silveira, VK Bailey, N Pedreño-Lopez, L Gonzalez-Nieto, HS Maxwell, A Domingues, MA Martins, J Pham, D Weiskopf, J Altman, EG Kallas, KG Andersen, M Stevenson, P Lichtenberger, H Choe, SS Whitehead, A Sette, DI Watkins	12/01/2017
Rare Control of SIVmac239 Infection in a Vaccinated Rhesus Macaque. AIDS research and human retroviruses	MA Martins, DC Tully, YC Shin, L Gonzalez-Nieto, KL Weisgrau, DJ Bean, R Gadgil, MJ Gutman, A Domingues, HS Maxwell, DM Magnani, M Ricciardi, N Pedreño-Lopez, V Bailey, MA Cruz, NS Lima, MC Bonaldo, JD Altman, E Rakasz, S Capuano, KA Reimann, M Piatak, JD Lifson, RC Desrosiers, TM Allen, DI Watkins	08/01/2017
Vaccine-induced immune responses against both Gag and Env improve control of simian immunodeficiency virus replication in rectally challenged rhesus macaques. PLoS pathogens	MA Martins, YC Shin, L Gonzalez-Nieto, A Domingues, MJ Gutman, HS Maxwell, I Castro, DM Magnani, M Ricciardi, N Pedreño-Lopez, V Bailey, D Betancourt, JD Altman, M Pauthner, DR Burton, B von Bredow, DT Evans, M Yuan, CL Parks, K Ejima, DB Allison, E Rakasz, GN Barber, S Capuano, JD Lifson, RC Desrosiers, DI Watkins	07/01/2017
MHC-Peptide Tetramers to Visualize Antigen-Specific T Cells. Current protocols in immunology	JD Altman, MM Davis	11/01/2016
Molecular Analysis of Lipid-Reactive Vδ1 γδ T Cells Identified by CD1c Tetramers. Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950)	S Roy, D Ly, CD Castro, NS Li, AJ Hawk, JD Altman, SC Meredith, JA Piccirilli, DB Moody, EJ Adams	02/15/2016
Human autoreactive T cells recognize CD1b and phospholipids. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America	I Van Rhijn, T van Berlo, T Hilmenyuk, TY Cheng, BJ Wolf, RV Tatituri, AP Uldrich, G Napolitani, V Cerundolo, JD Altman, P Willemsen, S Huang, J Rossjohn, GS Besra, MB Brenner, DI Godfrey, DB Moody	01/12/2016
Vaccine-Induced Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-Specific CD8+ T-Cell Responses Focused on a Single Nef Epitope Select for Escape Variants Shortly after Infection. Journal of virology	MA Martins, DC Tully, MA Cruz, KA Power, MG Veloso de Santana, DJ Bean, CB Ogilvie, R Gadgil, NS Lima, DM Magnani, K Ejima, DB Allison, M Piatak, JD Altman, CL Parks, EG Rakasz, S Capuano, R Galler, MC Bonaldo, JD Lifson, TM Allen, DI Watkins	11/01/2015
Prospective Assessment of the Diagnostic Accuracy of Instantaneous Wave-Free Ratio to Assess Coronary Stenosis Relevance: Results of ADVISE II International, Multicenter Study (ADenosine Vasodilator Independent Stenosis Evaluation II). JACC. Cardiovascular interventions	J Escaned, M Echavarría-Pinto, HM Garcia-Garcia, TP van de Hoef, T de Vries, P Kaul, G Raveendran, JD Altman, HI Kurz, J Brechtken, M Tulli, C Von Birgelen, JE Schneider, AA Khashaba, A Jeremias, J Baucum, R Moreno, M Meuwissen, G Mishkel, RJ van Geuns, H Levite, R Lopez-Palop, M Mayhew, PW Serruys, H Samady, JJ Piek, A Lerman	05/01/2015
Molecular basis of mycobacterial lipid antigen presentation by CD1c and its recognition by αβ T cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America	S Roy, D Ly, NS Li, JD Altman, JA Piccirilli, DB Moody, EJ Adams	10/28/2014
CD1a-autoreactive T cells recognize natural skin oils that function as headless antigens. Nature immunology	A de Jong, TY Cheng, S Huang, S Gras, RW Birkinshaw, AG Kasmar, I Van Rhijn, V Peña-Cruz, DT Ruan, JD Altman, J Rossjohn, DB Moody	02/01/2014
Cutting Edge: CD1a tetramers and dextramers identify human lipopeptide-specific T cells ex vivo. Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950)	AG Kasmar, I Van Rhijn, KG Magalhaes, DC Young, TY Cheng, MT Turner, A Schiefner, RC Kalathur, IA Wilson, M Bhati, S Gras, RW Birkinshaw, LL Tan, J Rossjohn, J Shires, S Jakobsen, JD Altman, DB Moody	11/01/2013
A conserved human T cell population targets mycobacterial antigens presented by CD1b. Nature immunology	I Van Rhijn, A Kasmar, A de Jong, S Gras, M Bhati, ME Doorenspleet, N de Vries, DI Godfrey, JD Altman, W de Jager, J Rossjohn, DB Moody	07/01/2013
CD1c tetramers detect ex vivo T cell responses to processed phosphomycoketide antigens. The Journal of experimental medicine	D Ly, AG Kasmar, TY Cheng, A de Jong, S Huang, S Roy, A Bhatt, RP van Summeren, JD Altman, WR Jacobs, EJ Adams, AJ Minnaard, SA Porcelli, DB Moody	04/08/2013
Platelets support a protective immune response to LCMV by preventing splenic necrosis. Blood	GD Loria, PA Romagnoli, NB Moseley, A Rucavado, JD Altman	02/07/2013
CD8 T cell memory recall is enhanced by novel direct interactions with CD4 T cells enabled by MHC class II transferred from APCs. PloS one	PA Romagnoli, MF Premenko-Lanier, GD Loria, JD Altman	01/01/2013
Deletion of specific immune-modulatory genes from modified vaccinia virus Ankara-based HIV vaccines engenders improved immunogenicity in rhesus macaques. Journal of virology	DA Garber, LA O'Mara, S Gangadhara, M McQuoid, X Zhang, R Zheng, K Gill, M Verma, T Yu, B Johnson, B Li, CA Derdeyn, C Ibegbu, JD Altman, E Hunter, MB Feinberg	12/01/2012
Use of replication restricted recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus vectors for detection of antigen-specific T cells. Journal of immunological methods	NB Moseley, O Laur, CC Ibegbu, GD Loria, G Ikwuenzunma, HR Jayakar, MA Whitt, JD Altman	01/31/2012
Discovery of deoxyceramides and diacylglycerols as CD1b scaffold lipids among diverse groove-blocking lipids of the human CD1 system. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America	S Huang, TY Cheng, DC Young, E Layre, CA Madigan, J Shires, V Cerundolo, JD Altman, DB Moody	11/29/2011
CD1b tetramers bind αβ T cell receptors to identify a mycobacterial glycolipid-reactive T cell repertoire in humans. The Journal of experimental medicine	AG Kasmar, I van Rhijn, TY Cheng, M Turner, C Seshadri, A Schiefner, RC Kalathur, JW Annand, A de Jong, J Shires, L Leon, M Brenner, IA Wilson, JD Altman, DB Moody	08/29/2011
Interrogating the repertoire: broadening the scope of peptide-MHC multimer analysis. Nature reviews. Immunology	MM Davis, JD Altman, EW Newell	07/15/2011
Phenotypic analysis of antigen-specific T lymphocytes. Science. 1996. 274: 94-96. Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950)	JD Altman, PA Moss, PJ Goulder, DH Barouch, MG McHeyzer-Williams, JI Bell, AJ McMichael, MM Davis	07/01/2011
The yellow fever virus vaccine induces a broad and polyfunctional human memory CD8+ T cell response. Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950)	RS Akondy, ND Monson, JD Miller, S Edupuganti, D Teuwen, H Wu, F Quyyumi, S Garg, JD Altman, C Del Rio, HL Keyserling, A Ploss, CM Rice, WA Orenstein, MJ Mulligan, R Ahmed	12/15/2009
Case of yellow fever vaccine--associated viscerotropic disease with prolonged viremia, robust adaptive immune responses, and polymorphisms in CCR5 and RANTES genes. The Journal of infectious diseases	B Pulendran, J Miller, TD Querec, R Akondy, N Moseley, O Laur, J Glidewell, N Monson, T Zhu, H Zhu, S Staprans, D Lee, MA Brinton, AA Perelygin, C Vellozzi, P Brachman, S Lalor, D Teuwen, RB Eidex, M Cetron, F Priddy, C del Rio, J Altman, R Ahmed	08/15/2008
Transient FTY720 treatment promotes immune-mediated clearance of a chronic viral infection. Nature	M Premenko-Lanier, NB Moseley, ST Pruett, PA Romagnoli, JD Altman	08/14/2008
Human effector and memory CD8+ T cell responses to smallpox and yellow fever vaccines. Immunity	JD Miller, RG van der Most, RS Akondy, JT Glidewell, S Albott, D Masopust, K Murali-Krishna, PL Mahar, S Edupuganti, S Lalor, S Germon, C Del Rio, MJ Mulligan, SI Staprans, JD Altman, MB Feinberg, R Ahmed	05/01/2008
Loss of IFN-gamma enables the expansion of autoreactive CD4+ T cells to induce experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by a nonencephalitogenic myelin variant antigen. Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950)	JJ Sabatino, J Shires, JD Altman, ML Ford, BD Evavold	04/01/2008