COVID-19 and T cells

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated how vulnerable we still are to viral infections. The best way to protect our society from this danger is by the development of safe and efficient vaccines that will provide lasting immunity. To be able to do this for SARS-Cov-2 (SARS2), the virus that causes COVID-19, we need to understand how our immune system responds to this disease. In addition, we know that SARS2 mutates as it spreads through the global population. Therefore, we need to investigate whether immunity formed against SARS2 protects us only from the original pathogen or also against potential mutants. In other words, we need to determine its protective ‘bandwidth’. If our immune system is only able to recognize very few viral variants, we should modify our vaccines to increase its protective bandwidth. We need to make sure that a vaccine does not only protect us from the SARS2 of today, but also from the SARS of tomorrow.

In this project, we will isolate blood from COVID-19 patients, three months after they have been cured and when immunity is formed. In the blood from these patients, we will characterize the functional properties of the immune cells (‘memory cells’) that mediate immunity against SARS2. We will compare these cells with those that protect us from other respiratory viruses, for example Influenza, to see whether their functional properties are similar. In collaboration with our partners in The Netherlands, we will make a high-resolution analysis of key molecules that regulate the protective properties of SARS2-specific memory cells. In addition, we will investigate the protective bandwidth of these cells using advanced immunological methods. Finally, we will use specific mouse models to mimic SARS2 infection. Importantly, we will use a newly developed therapeutic approach to increase the protective scope of immune cells that protect us from re-infection. Using these models, we will demonstrate that we can enhance the efficiency of vaccines directed against SARS2.

This project will be performed within the Center of Excellence for Viral Immunology and Vaccines in Rijeka. It builds on decades of experience with studying anti-viral memory cells. Importantly, our group is world-leading in research investigating the bandwidth of anti-viral immunity. Therefore, this project will provide a unique and valuable contribution to the global effort against COVID-19.

Project name: Memory manipulation; Development of novel strategies to enhance the memory CD8 T cell response against COVID-19 following vaccination

Project Leader: Assoc. Prof. Felix M. Wensveen

Project co-leader: Doc. Đurđica Cekinović Grbeša

Project identifier: IP-CORONA-2020-04-2045

Project duration: 01.07.2020 - 01.01.2022

Project budget: HRK 1.241.625

Funding body: Croatian Science Foundation / Hrvatska zaklada za Znanost (HRZZ)