Coronavirus: B cells and T cells explained


Authors: Beth Daley, Editor and General Manager To get the upper hand on the coronavirus, we first need to understand how our immune system reacts to it. Understanding this will lead to better treatments, effective vaccines and knowing how near we are to herd immunity – and if it’s even achievable. Every day, new research […]

Lasting immunity found after recovery from COVID-19


Authors: References: Immunological memory to SARS-CoV-2 assessed for up to 8 months after infection. Dan JM, Mateus J, Kato Y, Hastie KM, Yu ED, Faliti CE, Grifoni A, Ramirez SI, Haupt S, Frazier A, Nakao C, Rayaprolu V, Rawlings SA, Peters B, Krammer F, Simon V, Saphire EO, Smith DM, Weiskopf D, Sette A, Crotty S. Science. 2021 […]

COVID-19 Makes B Cells Forget, but T Cells Remember


Authors: Pablo F Cañete 1, Carola G Vinuesa 2 Abstract Understanding which arms of the immune response are responsible for protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection is key to predicting long-term immunity and to inform vaccine design. Two studies in this issue of Cell collectively suggest that, although SARS-CoV-2 infection may blunt long-lived antibody responses, immune memory might still be […]

How B cells fight the COVID-19 virus


Authors: Sarah C.P. Williams A study of antibody-producing B cells from patients who recovered from COVID-19 reveals a new cross-reactive antibody and what makes some B cells more effective at neutralizing the virus. Inside the body of a person with COVID-19, the immune system’s B cells are engaged in a full-scale battle with the SARS-CoV-2 […]

B cell memory: understanding COVID-19


Authors: Isaak Quast1 and David Tarlinton1,∗ Immunological memory is a mechanism to protect us against reinfection. Antibodies produced by B cells are integral to this defense strategy and underlie virtually all vaccine success. Here, we explain how B cell memory is generated by infection and vaccination, what influences its efficacy and its persistence, and how characterizing these […]

Antibody-dependent enhancement


Antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE), sometimes less precisely called immune enhancement or disease enhancement, is a phenomenon in which binding of a virus to suboptimal antibodies enhances its entry into hostcells, followed by its replication.[1][2] ADE may cause enhanced respiratory disease and acute lung injury after respiratory virus infection (ERD) with symptoms of monocytic infiltration and an excess of eosinophils in respiratory tract.[3] ADE along with type 2 T helper cell-dependent […]

Dr. Makary Says Natural Immunity Is More Effective Than Vaccine Immunity


Dr. Marty Makary, a professor at John Hopkins School of Medicine, during an appearance on The Vince Coglianese Show, said individuals formerly infected with COVID-19 are seven times more likely then vaccinated people to fight off the virus. “It appears that natural immunity is better against the Delta variant. When you get infected with COVID, […]

Complement control for COVID-19


Authors: Markus Bosmann1,2,3,4,* The complement system is an integral part of innate immune defense. It consists of about 50 proteins in plasma, on cell surfaces, and inside host cells. The traditional view is that complement proteins guard the local extracellular spaces and systemic bloodstream against invading pathogens. Loss-of-function mutations resulting in terminal complement pathway deficiencies […]

SARS-CoV-2-Specific Memory T Lymphocytes From COVID-19 Convalescent Donors: Identification, Biobanking, and Large-Scale Production for Adoptive Cell Therapy


Authors: C. Ferreras1†, B. Pascual-Miguel1†, C. Mestre-Durán1, A. Navarro-Zapata1, L. Clares-Villa1, C. Martín-Cortázar1, R. De Paz2, A. Marcos2, J. L. Vicario3, A. Balas3, F. García-Sánchez3, C. Eguizabal4,5, C. Solano6, M. Mora-Rillo7, B. Soria8,9 and A. Pérez-Martínez1,10,11* Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic is causing a second outbreak significantly delaying the hope for the virus’ complete eradication. In the absence of effective vaccines, we need effective treatments with low adverse effects that can […]

COVID‐19: immunopathology, pathophysiological mechanisms, and treatment options


Authors: Larissa E van Eijk, 1 , † Mathijs Binkhorst, 2 , † Arno R Bourgonje, 3 , ‡ Annette K Offringa, 4 , ‡ Douwe J Mulder, 5 Eelke M Bos, 6 Nikola Kolundzic, 7 , 8 Amaal E Abdulle, 5 Peter HJ van der Voort, 9 Marcel GM Olde Rikkert, 10 Johannes G van der Hoeven, 11 Wilfred FA den Dunnen, 1 Jan‐Luuk Hillebrands, 1 , § and Harry van Goor 1 , § Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), continues […]