Are you immunosuppressed? Engage study and help understand the kinetics of adaptive immunization against COVID-19
HAVE YOU HAD COVID-19? PARTICIPATE in the studyWe are looking for immunosuppressed patients that developed SARS-CoV-2 infection with mild or no clinical symptoms, as well as non-immunosuppressed patients with asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 (casual diagnosis by contact study) to join our study. These COVID-19 recovered patients engaging in the COV-Immunity study will be able to contribute to understanding the kinetics of adaptive immunization against SARS-CoV-2.
Those interested in participating in the investigation may directly contact the Study Coordinator by clicking the button above.
Visual Abstract:
Description of the Study:
- Title: Functional characterization of SARS-CoV-2-specific T and B cell long-lasting Immunity in immunocompetent and immunosuppressed patients developing SARS-CoV-2 infection (COV-Immunity).
- Principal investigator: Dr. Oriol Bestard.
- Centers of implementation: Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Bellvitge University Hospital, Catalan Institute of Oncology, and Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology.
- Study Population: We investigated 6 different groups of patients that developed SARS-CoV-2 infection in our centers (Bellvitge University Hospital and Catalan Institute of Oncology):
- Previously healthy individuals (n=20).
- Patients with important comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes, older than 70-y and/or concomitant pulmonary disease) (n=20).
- Solid organ transplant patients under chronic immunosuppression (n=20).
- Patients with malignancies receiving chemotherapy (n=20).
- Asymptomatic transplant patients without clinical evidence of having developed SARS-CoV-2 infection (n=30).
- HIV-infected patients (n=20).
- Study Type: Experimental research.
- Methods: Multi-color FLUORSPOT assay, B-cell ELISPOT assay, ELISA assay, flow-cytometry…
Objective of the Study:
Principal Objective: The main objective of the study is to investigate the kinetics of adaptive immunization, both from the humoral and cellular effector pathways specific against the SARS-CoV-2 in a distinct group of patients recovered from viral infection.
We monitored both at the time of infection and at different time points after infection (months 1, 3, 6 and 12) the virus-specific memory B and T cell immune responses using functional immune assays in the different groups of patients.
More about this Study:
In the first part of the study we tracked SARS-CoV-2-specific serological and functional T-cell immune responses against main immunogenic antigens in solid organ transplant patients (SOT) during acute infection and over the following 40 days of convalescence and we compared them to matched immunocompetent (IC) patients admitted with similar moderate/severe COVID-19.
Our first results show a delay of serological and functional T-cell immune activation to SARS-CoV-2 in SOT, which may entail poorer clinical outcomes. Nonetheless, SOT achieved robust serological and functional Th1 and Th2 immune responses at convalescence, similarly to those of IC patients.
The second part of our research will be focused on understanding long-lasting virus-specific immune responses (3, 6 and 12 months after infection).
