{"id":2524,"date":"2022-09-20T13:25:41","date_gmt":"2022-09-20T12:25:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/lydia-becker-institute-blog\/?page_id=2524"},"modified":"2024-05-17T08:50:53","modified_gmt":"2024-05-17T07:50:53","slug":"covid-19","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/lydia-becker-institute\/research\/covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section bb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;section&#8221; fullwidth=&#8221;on&#8221; next_background_color=&#8221;#000000&#8243; global_module=&#8221;322&#8243;][et_pb_fullwidth_menu global_parent=&#8221;322&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.0.106&#8243; menu_id=&#8221;7&#8243; submenu_direction=&#8221;downwards&#8221; fullwidth_menu=&#8221;off&#8221; background_layout=&#8221;dark&#8221; module_class=&#8221;main-navigation&#8221; \/][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; specialty=&#8221;off&#8221; transparent_background=&#8221;off&#8221; allow_player_pause=&#8221;off&#8221; inner_shadow=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method=&#8221;on&#8221; make_fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_width=&#8221;off&#8221; width_unit=&#8221;on&#8221; make_equal=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_gutter=&#8221;off&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px||0px|&#8221; custom_css_main_element=&#8221;padding-top:0px&#8221; module_class=&#8221;header-image-section&#8221; prev_background_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; next_background_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221;][et_pb_row allow_player_pause=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_1=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_1=&#8221;off&#8221; make_fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_width=&#8221;off&#8221; width_unit=&#8221;on&#8221; use_custom_gutter=&#8221;off&#8221; make_equal=&#8221;off&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||0px|&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;||0px|&#8221; module_class=&#8221;header-image&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243;][et_pb_image src=&#8221;https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/lydia-becker-institute-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/69\/2022\/09\/covid19.jpg&#8221; show_in_lightbox=&#8221;off&#8221; url_new_window=&#8221;off&#8221; use_overlay=&#8221;off&#8221; align=&#8221;left&#8221; always_center_on_mobile=&#8221;on&#8221; use_border_color=&#8221;off&#8221; force_fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;0px|||&#8221; animation_direction=&#8221;left&#8221; show_bottom_space=&#8221;off&#8221; border_color_all=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243; \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; specialty=&#8221;off&#8221; transparent_background=&#8221;off&#8221; allow_player_pause=&#8221;off&#8221; inner_shadow=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method=&#8221;on&#8221; make_fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_width=&#8221;off&#8221; width_unit=&#8221;on&#8221; make_equal=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_gutter=&#8221;off&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;||0px|&#8221; prev_background_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; next_background_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221;][et_pb_row allow_player_pause=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_1=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_1=&#8221;off&#8221; make_fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_width=&#8221;off&#8221; width_unit=&#8221;on&#8221; use_custom_gutter=&#8221;off&#8221; make_equal=&#8221;off&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||0px|&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;||0px|&#8221; module_class=&#8221;breadcrumbs-row&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Breadcrumbs (do not remove)&#8221; background_layout=&#8221;light&#8221; text_orientation=&#8221;left&#8221; use_border_color=&#8221;off&#8221; border_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221; module_class=&#8221;breadcrumbs&#8221; custom_css_main_element=&#8221;border-bottom: 1px solid #ececed;&#8221; module_alignment=&#8221;left&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221;]<\/p>\n<span><span><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/lydia-becker-institute\/\">Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation<\/a><\/span><\/span>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; specialty=&#8221;on&#8221; transparent_background=&#8221;off&#8221; allow_player_pause=&#8221;off&#8221; inner_shadow=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_1=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_1=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_2=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_2=&#8221;off&#8221; make_fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_width=&#8221;off&#8221; width_unit=&#8221;on&#8221; make_equal=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_gutter=&#8221;on&#8221; gutter_width=&#8221;2&#8243; prev_background_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; next_background_color=&#8221;#1d1d1d&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_3&#8243;][et_pb_sidebar admin_label=&#8221;Left Nav Sidebar&#8221; area=&#8221;et_pb_widget_area_1&#8243; orientation=&#8221;left&#8221; remove_border=&#8221;on&#8221; background_layout=&#8221;light&#8221; module_id=&#8221;left-nav-menu&#8221; show_border=&#8221;off&#8221; \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;2_3&#8243; specialty_columns=&#8221;2&#8243;][et_pb_row_inner admin_label=&#8221;Row&#8221;][et_pb_column_inner type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; saved_specialty_column_type=&#8221;2_3&#8243;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text: COVID-19 research intro&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h1>COVID-19 research<\/h1>\n<p class=\"subHeading\">Our combined expertise in immunology in the Institute means we\u2019re uniquely placed to understand how COVID-19 behaves and affects individuals.<\/p>\n<p>One major area of focus within the Institute has been to longitudinally immuno-phenotype patient samples to understand the nature of the immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus which causes COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p>In order to do this we formed the Coronavirus Immune Response and Clinical Outcomes (CIRCO) team with all major hospitals in Manchester.<\/p>\n<p>So far our data has led to the key discovery that phenotypically and functionally abnormal monocytes (an immune cell released from the bone marrow) are an early-stage biomarker predictive of increased severity of disease.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1126\/sciimmunol.abd6197\">Read the paper in Science Immunology<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In the future we plan to detect potential biomarkers for long COVID, look at whether the immune response varies in different patient groups and how age may affect the immune response to COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_button admin_label=&#8221;Button: COVID-19 updates&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243; button_text=&#8221;COVID-19 updates&#8221; button_url=&#8221;https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/lydia-becker-institute\/category\/covid-19\/&#8221; \/][et_pb_divider _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243; \/][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text: Jump links&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p><strong>On this page:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#circo\">CIRCO study<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#projects\">Projects<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#partnerships\">Partnerships<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#media\">Media coverage<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243; \/][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text: CIRCO study&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"circo\">CIRCO study<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/E-Nge3mDw7g?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen title=\"COVID-19 CIRCO Study\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Institute rapidly established the Coronavirus Immune Response and Clinical Outcomes (CIRCO) study with all major hospitals in Manchester.<\/p>\n<p>We quickly made a number of discoveries, which helped us to understand the coronavirus better and in turn led us to be able to propose new therapeutics and when people are more likely to benefit from receiving them.<\/p>\n<p>Our work is unique in two ways:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Hospitals gives us access to fresh samples for immune-phenotyping, meaning key information from the immune signature is not lost.<\/li>\n<li>Our study is longitudinal, meaning we can track patient outcomes to see a bigger picture.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>How we did it<\/h3>\n<p>CIRCO has been a huge team effort with more than 100 researchers, clinicians and technicians working across the University, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Salford Royal and Pennine Acute NHS Trusts.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/lydia-becker-institute\/2021\/03\/03\/collaborating-to-understand-covid-19\/\">Read this interview<\/a>\u00a0with Tracy Hussell, Director of the Lydia Becker Institute, on why Manchester was uniquely positioned to take on this challenge.<\/p>\n<h3>CIRCO members<\/h3>\n<p>Without the effort of the people acknowledged here \u2013 from phlebotomists and nurses in the hospitals who took blood samples and consented patients to the researchers in the lab \u2013 our discoveries could not have happened.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_accordion admin_label=&#8221;Accordion: CIRCO members&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243;][et_pb_accordion_item _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243; title=&#8221;Immunologists (The University of Manchester)&#8221;]<\/p>\n<div class='one_half'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<ul>\n<li>Elizabeth Mann<\/li>\n<li>Madhvi Menon<\/li>\n<li>Joanne Konkel<\/li>\n<li>John Grainger<\/li>\n<li>Christopher Jagger<\/li>\n<li>Tovah Shaw<\/li>\n<li>Siddharth Krishnan<\/li>\n<li>Halima Ali Shuwa<\/li>\n<li>Nicholas A. Scott<\/li>\n<li>Alistair Chenery<\/li>\n<li>Mehwish Younas<\/li>\n<li>Kathryn Gray<\/li>\n<li>Saba Khan<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class='one_half et_column_last'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<ul>\n<li>Emma Connelly<\/li>\n<li>Miriam Franklin<\/li>\n<li>Silvia Liu<\/li>\n<li>Christine Chew<\/li>\n<li>Flora A. McClure<\/li>\n<li>Barbora Salcman<\/li>\n<li>Oliver Brand<\/li>\n<li>David Morgan<\/li>\n<li>Ruth Stephens<\/li>\n<li>Verena Kaestele<\/li>\n<li>Thomas Williams<\/li>\n<li>Graham Lord<\/li>\n<li>Tracy Hussell<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class='clear'><\/div><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243; title=&#8221;Northern Care Alliance (Salford Royal and Pennine Acute NHS Trusts)&#8221;]<\/p>\n<div class='one_half'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<ul>\n<li>Sean Knight<\/li>\n<li>Nawar Bakerly<\/li>\n<li>Rob Oliver<\/li>\n<li>Seamus Grundy<\/li>\n<li>Alexander G. Mathioudakis<\/li>\n<li>Rohan Ahmed<\/li>\n<li>Emma Hardy<\/li>\n<li>Christina Parkinson<\/li>\n<li>Seema Sharma<\/li>\n<li>Evelyn Charsley\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class='one_half et_column_last'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<ul>\n<li>Clare Moizer<\/li>\n<li>Paul Dark<\/li>\n<li>Andrew Ustianowski<\/li>\n<li>Laura Durrans<\/li>\n<li>Karen Connolly<\/li>\n<li>Jacinta Guerin<\/li>\n<li>Jade Harris<\/li>\n<li>Gabriella Lindergard<\/li>\n<li>Joanne Shaw<\/li>\n<li>Simon Dawson\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class='clear'><\/div><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243; title=&#8221;Manchester Foundation Trust (MRI and Wythenshawe Hospital)&#8221;]<\/p>\n<div class='one_half'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<ul>\n<li>Angela Simpson<\/li>\n<li>Timothy Felton<\/li>\n<li>Helen Francis<\/li>\n<li>Lesley Lowe<\/li>\n<li>Chantelle Hayes<\/li>\n<li>Rhys Tudge<\/li>\n<li>Gael Tavernier<\/li>\n<li>Lisa Willmore<\/li>\n<li>Joanne Mitchell<\/li>\n<li>Hannah Durrington<\/li>\n<li>Laurence Pearmain<\/li>\n<li>Katrina Moore<\/li>\n<li>Susannah Glasgow<\/li>\n<li>Jane Shaw<\/li>\n<li>Jasmine Egan<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class='one_half et_column_last'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<ul>\n<li>Grace Padden<\/li>\n<li>Roanna Warren<\/li>\n<li>Stuart Moss<\/li>\n<li>Miriam Avery<\/li>\n<li>Anu John<\/li>\n<li>Pamela Hackney<\/li>\n<li>Katharine Birchall<\/li>\n<li>Lara Smith<\/li>\n<li>Richard Clark<\/li>\n<li>Ananya Saha<\/li>\n<li>Nicola Godfrey<\/li>\n<li>Simon Stephan<\/li>\n<li>Louis Wareing<\/li>\n<li>Bethany Jolly<\/li>\n<li>Elizabeth Shepley<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class='clear'><\/div>\n<p>[\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243; title=&#8221;Bioinformaticians (The University of Manchester)&#8221;]<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Magnus Rattray<\/li>\n<li>Mike Phuychareon<\/li>\n<li>Mudassar Iqbal<\/li>\n<li>Syed Murtuza Baker<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243; title=&#8221;NIHR Respiratory Translational Research Consortium&#8221;]<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Alex Horsley \u2013 Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC)<\/li>\n<li>Tim Harrison \u2013 Nottingham BRC<\/li>\n<li>Joanna Porter \u2013 UCLH BRC<\/li>\n<li>Ratko Djukanovic \u2013 Southampton BRC<\/li>\n<li>Stefan Marciniak \u2013 Cambridge BRC<\/li>\n<li>Chris Brightling \u2013 Leicester BRC<\/li>\n<li>Ling-Pei Ho \u2013 Oxford BRC<\/li>\n<li>Lorcan McGarvey &#8211; Queen&#8217;s University Belfast<\/li>\n<li>Jane Davies- Imperial College BRC<\/li>\n<li>Marc Feldmann \u2013 University of Oxford<\/li>\n<li>Doreen Cantrell \u2013 University of Dundee<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/et_pb_accordion_item][\/et_pb_accordion][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text: Projects&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"projects\">Projects<\/h2>\n<p>Explore a sample of current projects our members are working on.<\/p>\n<h3>CIRCO projects<\/h3>\n<p>Projects&nbsp;using the cohort of samples from the CIRCO study.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_accordion admin_label=&#8221;Accordion: CIRCO projects&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243;][et_pb_accordion_item _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243; title=&#8221;Investigating B and T cell responses in COVID-19 patients&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>T and B cells are types of white blood cell that play keys role in killing invading viruses by producing virus-specific antibodies, killing virus-infected cells and co-ordinating immune responses through the release of cytokines. In addition to their effector functions, regulatory B cells (Bregs) and regulatory T cells (Tregs) can also suppress the immune response, in order to prevent potentially harmful excessive inflammation during an infection.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, a balanced lymphocyte responses are important are vital to clear pathogens but also to restore immune homeostasis after an infection. We aim to understand how aberrant lymphocyte responses influence the clinical course of COVID-19 and how patients on existing immunotherapies and immune-suppression respond to infection.<\/p>\n<h4>Lymphocyte responses in long COVID<\/h4>\n<p>Long COVID has a diverse range of persistent symptoms. Therefore there is a compelling need to identify biomarkers for disease stratification and to develop personalised therapeutic strategies tailored to subsets of patients. Long-lasting B and T cell abnormalities in convalescent COVID-19 patients and their association with long COVID have not been explored previously. We aim to identify novel lymphocyte signatures that associate with specific clinical outcomes and provide an improved understanding of how B and T lymphocyte abnormalities contribute to long-term health issues.<\/p>\n<p>Read the publication:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC8011689\/\">Alterations in T and B cell function persist in convalescent COVID-19 patients<\/a><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243; title=&#8221;Immunoprofiling to stratify antibody responses to COVID-19 infection and vaccination&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>Antibody immunoprofiling is a technology which collects a \u2018fingerprint\u2019 of antibody binding characteristics using peptide microarrays. By training antibody immunoprofiles against clinical outcomes, we can use machine learning methods to train immunoprofile data.<\/p>\n<p>The method could be used to compare antibody responses elicited by different vaccines to those from convalescent patients, and also those who tested positive for COVID-19 but exhibited few symptoms and presumably mounted an effective humoral immune response.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243; title=&#8221;Clinical and immunological phenotypes of COVID-19&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p>Sean Knight is the lead researcher for the COVID-19 tissue bank collection in the Northern Care Alliance.<\/p>\n<p>During the pandemic the tissue bank has collected samples from more than one hundred patients admitted to their hospitals and have tracked changes in immunity over time, correlating these with key events in each patient\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n<p>This has led to several insights into how the immune system reacts in acute infection and how immunity changes on recovery.<\/p>\n<p>We have expanded our collaborations to include several commercial and academic partners and as the national COVID-19 vaccination program gets underway, we will be looking at how historical health issues and recent infections influence immunity following vaccination.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_accordion_item][\/et_pb_accordion][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text: Other research projects&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h3>Other research projects<\/h3>\n<p>As well as CIRCO, researchers within the Institute are working on a number of projects to understand the immunological basis of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_accordion admin_label=&#8221;Accordion: Other research projects&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243;][et_pb_accordion_item _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243; title=&#8221;IL-13 is a driver of COVID-19 severity&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>Tara Sutherland and Judi Allen (The University of Manchester) have been collaborating with the University of Virginia (UVA), Charlottesville, USA on a project related to the role of IL-13 in COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p>Allie Donlan and Bill Petri from UVA found that elevated IL-13 was associated with the need for mechanical ventilation in two distinct UVA patient cohorts. Using a mouse model of SARS-CoV-2, Allie saw that blocking IL-13 reduced disease severity. At this point, Bill involved Judi and Tara in the study.<\/p>\n<p>The role of IL-13 does not appear to follow traditional type 2 immune response profiles, but rather IL-13 leads to accumulation of hyaluronan in the lung. Blocking CD44, a hyaluronan receptor, also reduces disease severity. Tara, using autopsy samples from the University of Washington in Seattle, was able to confirm elevated hyaluronan in patients who have died from COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p>Tony Day from the Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Matrix Research is now involved in the study to provide essential hyaluronan expertise.<\/p>\n<p>Remarkably, while this study was underway, we found that patients prescribed Dupilimab, which blocks the receptor for IL-4 and IL-13, had less severe disease. The work has revealed not only a potentially important pathway in&nbsp;COVID-19 but new roles for the type 2 immune response.<\/p>\n<p>Read our pre-print article:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.medrxiv.org\/content\/10.1101\/2020.06.18.20134353v2\">IL-13 is a driver of COVID-19 severity<\/a><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243; title=&#8221;Protein biomarkers in COVID-19&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p>The COVID-19 pandemic, has necessitated the urgent development of new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Research worldwide has moved rapidly to generate assays for detecting SARS-CoV-2 RNA and host immunoglobulins for diagnosis.<\/p>\n<p>However, the complexities of COVID-19 are such that more complete definitions of patient status, outcomes, and the development of long-COVID are required.<\/p>\n<p>There is accumulating evidence that protein biomarkers could help to provide this definition. In a recent review, we examined existing applications of proteomics to COVID-19 and SARS and outlined how pipelines involving technologies such as artificial intelligence could be of value for research on these diseases (Whetton et al.,&nbsp;<em>Journal of Proteome Research<\/em>, 2020).<\/p>\n<p>Proteins involved in the immune system and responses to inflammation are prominently observed in infectious diseases such as COVID-19. To address this particular issue, we examined data on immune modulators, cells, and disease associations captured from biological and medical literature associated with COVID-19, Coronavirus in general, SARS, and H5N1 influenza, with the objective of identifying potentially useful relationships and areas for future research (Geifman &amp; Whetton,&nbsp;<em>Journal of Translational Medicine<\/em>, 2020).<\/p>\n<p>We are currently developing an approach that can address the more general inflammatory signal that may be present in any proteomic biomarker signatures and identify a COVID-19 specific set of biomarkers that can better predict clinical outcomes.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_accordion_item][\/et_pb_accordion][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text: Partnerships&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"partnerships\">Partnerships<\/h2>\n<p>We\u2019re collaborating nationally and internationally to help create a better understanding of COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p>We are leading one of the themes in the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.uk-cic.org\/\">UK-CIC<\/a>, a consortium of 19 immunology research centres investigating the immune response to SARS-CoV-2.<\/p>\n<p>We are part of the NIHR Respiratory Translational Research Consortium.<\/p>\n<p>Tracy Hussell sits on both the British Society for Immunology task force and the World Health Organisation Taskforce for Immune Therapeutics.<\/p>\n<p>We are involved in\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.phosp.org\/\">PHOSP-COVID<\/a>, a post-hospitalisation study looking at recovery.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243; \/][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text: Media coverage&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"media\">Media coverage<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7RUxHBFRE1A?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen title=\"Covid boosters rolled out early in England care homes - C4 News - Professor Sheena Cruickshank\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>With immunology a hot topic in the media, our researchers have been very active in giving their expert commentary on a range of areas.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve had more than 110 pieces of coverage.<\/p>\n<p>See recent coverage and commentary:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/lydia-becker-institute\/2024\/05\/17\/astrazeneca-vaccine\/\">The AstraZeneca vaccine saved millions of lives \u2013 it should not be demonised<\/a> (Sheena Cruickshank, New Statesman)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/lydia-becker-institute\/2023\/05\/07\/the-long-covid-mystery-has-a-new-suspect-wired-magazine\/\">The Long Covid Mystery Has a New Suspect<\/a> (Elizabeth Mann, Wired Magazine)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/lydia-becker-institute\/2021\/02\/04\/will-ultra-orthodox-jewish-communities-hit-herd-immunity\/\">Will ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities hit herd immunity?<\/a>\u00a0(Tracy Hussell, Daily Mail)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/lydia-becker-institute\/2021\/02\/02\/alcohol-related-deaths-spiked-during-lockdown\/\">Alcohol-related deaths spiked during lockdown<\/a>\u00a0(Sheena Cruickshank, Daily Mail)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/lydia-becker-institute\/2021\/01\/25\/overcoming-vaccine-hesitancy\/\">Overcoming vaccine hesitancy<\/a>\u00a0(Tracy Hussell, BBC News)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_button admin_label=&#8221;Button: See press releases&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243; button_text=&#8221;See press releases&#8221; button_url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.manchester.ac.uk\/discover\/news\/?h=1&amp;t=coronavirus&#8221; \/][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text: Contact press officer&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-top: 0.75em\">If you would like comment from one of our experts, please contact&nbsp;<strong>Mike Addelman<\/strong>, News and Media Relations Officer:<\/p>\n<p>Tel:&nbsp;<a href=\"tel:441612752111\">+44 (0)161 275 2111<\/a><br \/>Mob:&nbsp;<a href=\"tel:%20447717881567\">+44 (0)7717 881567<\/a><br \/>Email:&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:%20michael.addelman@manchester.ac.uk\">michael.addelman@manchester.ac.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;Connect Title&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px||0px|&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.0.90&#8243; background_color=&#8221;#1d1d1d&#8221; module_class=&#8221;footer-section&#8221; prev_background_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; global_module=&#8221;380&#8243;][et_pb_row admin_label=&#8221;row&#8221; global_parent=&#8221;380&#8243; locked=&#8221;off&#8221; allow_player_pause=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method=&#8221;on&#8221; parallax_1=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_1=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_2=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_2=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_3=&#8221;off&#8221; parallax_method_3=&#8221;off&#8221; make_fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; use_custom_width=&#8221;off&#8221; width_unit=&#8221;on&#8221; use_custom_gutter=&#8221;off&#8221; make_equal=&#8221;off&#8221; module_id=&#8221;footer-row&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.0.89&#8243;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_3&#8243;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Contact Us Title&#8221; global_parent=&#8221;380&#8243; background_layout=&#8221;dark&#8221; text_text_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; parent_locked=&#8221;off&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h4>Contact Us<\/h4>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Contact Us&#8221; global_parent=&#8221;380&#8243; text_text_color=&#8221;#aaaaaa&#8221; parent_locked=&#8221;off&#8221; background_layout=&#8221;light&#8221; text_orientation=&#8221;left&#8221; use_border_color=&#8221;off&#8221; module_class=&#8221;contact-us&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"tel:+441613063771\">+44 (0)161 306 3771<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_3&#8243;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Find Us Title&#8221; global_parent=&#8221;380&#8243; background_layout=&#8221;dark&#8221; text_text_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; parent_locked=&#8221;off&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h4>Find Us<\/h4>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Address&#8221; global_parent=&#8221;380&#8243; background_layout=&#8221;dark&#8221; text_orientation=&#8221;left&#8221; use_border_color=&#8221;off&#8221; module_id=&#8221;address&#8221; parent_locked=&#8221;off&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.manchester.ac.uk\/discover\/maps\/interactive-map\/\">Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation<br \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.manchester.ac.uk\/discover\/maps\/interactive-map\/\">Core Technology Facility\u00a0<br \/>46 Grafton Street<br \/>M13 9NT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_3&#8243;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Connect Title&#8221; global_parent=&#8221;380&#8243; background_layout=&#8221;dark&#8221; text_text_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; parent_locked=&#8221;off&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h4>Connect With Us<\/h4>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_code admin_label=&#8221;Social Media&#8221; global_parent=&#8221;380&#8243; parent_locked=&#8221;off&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243;]<\/p>\n<ul class=\"inlineList footer-socialIcons\"><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --> <\/pee>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      <!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><\/p>\n<li><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LydiaBeckerIII\"><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --> \u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/assets.manchester.ac.uk\/phase1\/templates\/images\/icon-twitter-50.png\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" alt=\"Twitter page for the Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation\" \/><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --> <\/a><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --> <\/li>\n<p><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><\/p>\n<li><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCzBiyW5WlCyTTSQoyxtxRvw\"><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --> \u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.manchester.ac.uk\/phase1\/templates\/images\/icon-youtube-50.png\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" alt=\"YouTube page for the Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation\" \/><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --> <\/a><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --> <\/li>\n<p><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --> <\/ul>\n<p><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->[\/et_pb_code][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span><span><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/lydia-becker-institute\/\">Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation<\/a><\/span><\/span> COVID-19 research Our combined expertise in immunology in the Institute means we\u2019re uniquely placed to understand how COVID-19 behaves and affects individuals. One major area of focus within the Institute has been to longitudinally immuno-phenotype patient samples to understand the nature of the immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus which causes COVID-19. In order [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"parent":2510,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2524","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/lydia-becker-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/lydia-becker-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/lydia-becker-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/lydia-becker-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/lydia-becker-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2524"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/lydia-becker-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2524\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3768,"href":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/lydia-becker-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2524\/revisions\/3768"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/lydia-becker-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/lydia-becker-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}