T cell responses in MIS-C related to SARS-CoV2

National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

The main goal of this project is to investigate SARS-CoV2-specific T cell responses in subjects with long-term inflammatory disease related to SARS-CoV2 infection. This has primarily involved investigation of a cohort of patients with MIS-C, but numerous additional collaborations investigating T cell responses in MIS-C have evolved from this project. In FY2022, we continued exploring the responses of T cells from patients with MIS-C, using cells from age-matched subjects with acute SARS-CoV2 infection and age-matched healthy volunteers as comparators. We found multiple novel and phenotype-specific immunophenotypic associations. An abstract based on these findings is planned to be presented at the American College of Rheumatology 2022 Annual Meeting, and a manuscript is in the late stages of preparation. Submission of this manuscript is planned in FY23. Additionally, the techniques used in this project have resulted in several collaborations. One of these involves responses to SARS-CoV2 in human tonsils and is currently under revision. We engaged in several additional related scientific collaborations, including one to optimize T cell therapeutic products reactive to SARS-CoV2. This is for use in patients with immunodeficiences, and used Next-Gen techniques to evaluate the culture conditions used to produce optimally antiviral T cell therapeutic products. A manuscript based on these findings was published in FY22. We also were involved in a collaboration to investigate the role of Vitamin D in modulating Th1 cell responses in COVID-19. A preprint was published in FY21, and a full manuscript was published in FY22.