Authors: By Dr. Liji Thomas, MD The disease course of COVID-19 is diverse, ranging from asymptomatic to fatal respiratory failure. Emory University scientists have been working to uncover the immunological reasons behind this heterogeneity. A recent study on B cells, published on the preprint server medRxiv* in April 2020, shows that extrafollicular B cells could be a marker […]
Authors: Gemma E Hartley 1, Emily S J Edwards 1, Pei M Aui 1, Nirupama Varese 1 2, Stephanie Stojanovic 3, James McMahon 4 5, Anton Y Peleg 4 6, Irene Boo 7, Heidi E Drummer 7 8 9, P Mark Hogarth 1 10 11, Robyn E O’Hehir 1 2 3, Menno C van Zelm 12 2 Abstract Lasting immunity following SARS-CoV-2 infection is questioned because serum antibodies decline in convalescence. However, functional immunity is mediated by long-lived memory T and B (Bmem) cells. Therefore, we generated fluorescently-labeled […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Summary CD4+ T cells help B cells to produce antibodies and help CD8+ T cells to kill virus-infected cells One of the dominant cytokines produced by T cells is interferon gamma, a key player in controlling viral infection – see also [41] Lymphopenia is a main feature of COVID-19 infection, affecting CD4+ T cells, CD8+ […]