The cell mediated and humoral response to SARS-CoV-2 infectionTools Burns, Eleanor (2022) The cell mediated and humoral response to SARS-CoV-2 infection. MRes thesis, University of Nottingham.
AbstractSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is the virus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), the respiratory illness responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. We have worked with the University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire to identify patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 to study their long-term cell mediated/humoral responses (i.e., immunological memory) to the infection. We aimed to identify the quality of their memory response in relation to the severity of their disease and other physiological differences. We isolated the patient’s peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and stimulated them with peptides of SARS-CoV-2 from 2 months after their initial infection. The PBMCs were stimulated separately with the Spike protein, the Membrane protein and the Nucleocapsid protein of SARS-CoV-2. Subsequently, the samples stained to detect CD8 and CD4 T-cells and the cytokines (IL-2 and IFN-g) they expressed, and flow cytometry was then used to analyse the data. Alongside this we measured SARS-CoV2-specific antibody levels and conducted antibody neutralisation assays on the plasma of each patient to define the quality of the humoral immune response. We hope to develop an understanding of the lasting effects of SARS-Cov-2 immunity in those with and without an antibody response and observe the effects of severity of illness on these long-term immune responses.
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