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Understanding our immune response to SARS-CoV-2 is essential in fighting the pandemic
Understanding our immune response to SARS-CoV-2 is essential in fighting the pandemic
The COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 Pandemic
Since its appearance in December of 2019, scientists all over the world have been working hard to understand SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. Their research has sought to answer vital questions like how the virus is transmitted from person to person, how infection affects our bodies, how we build immunity against it, and much more.
SARS-CoV-2 and Immunity
SARS-CoV-2 and Immunity
Your immune system fights off foreign invaders like viruses and bacteria. Once exposed to a threat, the immune system creates an immune memory of it. That way, it knows how to neutralize the threat if it ever comes back.
Two cells in your immune system are responsible for immune memory: T-cells and B-cells. T-cells can find infected cells in your body and destroy them. B-cells create antibodies, which are specialized proteins that help fight off pathogens. For example, if you are infected with SARS-CoV-2 or are vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2, your immune system produces antibodies specific to SARS-CoV-2.
The amount of SARS-CoV-2 antibody in a person's blood may determine how likely they are to be infected. A person's previous exposure to other common respiratory viruses (like influenza and other seasonal coronaviruses) may also impact immunity to SARS-CoV-2.
Sometimes, immune memory fades over time. This is called waning immunity, and it can lead to reinfection: becoming sick from the same germ again.
About the IASO Study
About the IASO Study
The IASO study aims to help us understand our immune system's response to SARS-CoV-2 after infection and/or vaccination. This includes studying:
To what extent pre-existing SARS-CoV-2 antibodies protect a person from infection and illness
The duration of immunity resulting from a COVID-19 infection or vaccination
To do this, IASO collects blood samples from participants every two months. The participant's blood is then tested for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, allowing researchers to track the prevalence of antibodies over time. (For reference, see Study Design below!)
In addition to our original study, IASO's sub-study investigates reinfection, the likelihood a person with antibodies can still infect others, and how long various symptoms last when someone is infected. See our sub-study page for details!
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