Antibody dynamics in Long COVID patients of the IRMI-19 cohort and oncological patients of the ONCOVID-VAC cohort

Project leader: Prof. Dr. Christine S. Falk

Key area

  • Pathophysiology: immunmodulation and immune control

Who is involved?

  • Prof. Dr. Christine S. Falk (Project leader, MHH)
  • Prof. Dr. med. Marius Hoeper (MHH)
  • Dr. med. Tobias R. Overbeck (UMG)
  • Dr. Isabell Pink (MHH)
  • Prof. Dr. Georg Behrens (MHH)
  • Prof. Dr. Thomas Pietschmann (TWINCORE)

What is the aim?

The aims of this interdisciplinary application are, on the one hand, to determine the immunological response, e.g. IgG antibodies and possibly T cells, after vaccination with the spike-specific vaccines, mRNA or vector-based, in various immunosuppressed patient cohorts, as well as Long COVID patients after COVID-19 disease. For this purpose, oncological patients will be recruited in cooperation with the UMG, Dr. Overbeck, starting one month after the 2nd COVID vaccination. Organ transplanted patients, especially heart and lung transplanted patients and Long COVID patients of the MHH will be used as comparison collectives. Healthy individuals between 20 and 80 years of age were recruited as normal donors after vaccination with spike-specific mRNA or vector vaccines. From these analyses, we expect clear correlations between immunosuppressive or immune-activating therapies in these patient groups and the degree of immune response at antibody and possibly T-cell level after vaccination. We also expect differences in the Long COVID patient groups according to the degree of acute infection phase, i.e. former mild, hospitalised or intensive care.

Which COFONI technology platform is involved?

Publications

  • Endothelial dysfunction contributes to severe COVID-19 in combination with dysregulated lymphocyte responses and cytokine networks. Ruhl L, Pink I, Kühne JF, Beushausen K, Keil J, Christoph S, Sauer A, Boblitz L, Schmidt J, David S, Jäck HM, Roth E, Cornberg M, Schulz TF, Welte T, Höper MM, and C.S. Falk. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2021 Dec 10;6(1):418. doi: 10.1038/s41392-021-00819-6. (IF: 18.187)

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