Understanding COVID-19 immune responses
Understanding the differences in immunological responses to COVID-19 is key to identifying which groups will develop more serious forms of the disease and those who are likely to respond better to certain therapies. This knowledge is critical to ensuring patients receive the appropriate therapies at the optimum time.
The Coronavirus Immune Response and Clinical Outcome (CIRCO) team has performed a study of COVID-19 patients in hospitals in Greater Manchester, which aimed to aid patient stratification, for example, for drug trials, and revealing novel underlying biology for COVID-19 by understanding how the peripheral immunity is developing.
Members from the cellular immunology branch who are part of CIRCO will continue the research:
- To get an indication of the tipping point in the disease and to identify which patients are going to improve, which are not, and where those changes are that will determine this.
- To test existing therapeutics to ensure different patients get the most appropriate treatment for them.
- To understand the long-term effects on patient health, mood and underlying conditions and not just their immune response.
Other parts of our research focus on understanding the signalling pathways and molecular mechanisms by which immune cells initiate and contribute to inflammation in the different settings mentioned above.
