Viral tropism of COVID-19 and the human immune system_v1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Viral tropism of COVID-19 and the human immune system
IRAS ID
282359
Contact name
A Thomas
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Leicester
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Background
We are in urgent need of information regarding virus transmissibility and human immunity in relation to the current COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 is caused by infection with the Sars-CoV2 virus which is strongly related to the SARS-CoV virus that led to the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic.
Following inoculation, one of the hallmarks of a bad prognosis in SARS is the virus gaining the ability to infect and virally replicate within lymphocytes. It remains unknown exactly which cells COVID-19/SARS-CoV2 infects in the human disease process and this information has profound implications for our understanding of the natural history of disease and human immunity to this pathogen.
Lymphocytes are the central component of immunity that maintain our ability for protection from pathogen re-encounter. If lymphocytes are infected by this novel pathogen, then this has major implications for treatment/prevention strategies relying upon immunity, as well suggesting additional therapeutic targets.
Research Questions
i) Which cell types are infected by Sars-CoV2 in affected patients?
ii) Which sub-classes of immune cells are affected by Sars-Cov2?
iii) Which cell types support viral replication in addition to be being susceptible to infection?Methods
We are urgently seeking access to COVID-19 positive tissues in which to quantify the extent of viral infection of immune cells, and in particular to identify immune cell subgroups (eg memory T-cells) which are being affected.
Our main methodology will be the use of multiplex in situ assays for the detection of viral RNA/protein in sections of affected tissue, with simultaneous immunohistochemical cell type identification. These are methods which are well established in our laboratories, and our main exterior requirement is fixed, embedded, COVID-19/SARS-CoV2 tissues, which we will obtain from post mortem examinations and as excess diagnostic material. Secondarily we will also seek to directly visualise coronoavirus particles interacting with the immune system by electron microscopy.REC name
North East - Tyne & Wear South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/NE/0146
Date of REC Opinion
14 May 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion