Evaluation of the humoral response of COVID-19 vaccines produced by Instituto Butantan in Diabetes Mellitus type 1 and 2 associated or not with Obesity

• Grant number: 23/13909-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Program to Stimulate Scientific Vocations
• Start date: January 08, 2024
• End date: February 17, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - General Physiology
• Principal Investigator: Rui Curi
• Grantee: João Gabriel dos Santos Magalhães
• Host Institution: Instituto Butantan. Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The activities to be carried out by the scholarship holder are part of Mariana Cruz Lazzarin's postdoctoral project entitled "Immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines used in Brazil in type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus with or without obesity," whose objective is to investigate differences in the immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines in different experimental models of diabetes mellitus. The internship will provide the student with the opportunity to experience the dynamics of research protocol execution using a well-established rat experimental model, as well as to participate in obtaining data on humoral immunogenicity and engage in scientific discussions that will contribute to their training in scientific methodology. The intern will be trained to perform antibody titration and evaluate the neutralizing capacity of the produced antibodies. Additionally, they will learn earn about animal handling, observe the induction of diabetes and obesity in experimental models, and participate in the histological processing of lymphoid organs for histopathological analysis. They will also participate in the analysis and discussion of results ansearching and readingng of related scientific articles. In more detail, the scientific activities to be carried out by the scholarship holder include: (1) Monitoring the production dynamics of Goto-Kakizaki and Wistar rat strains at the Central Animal House of the Butantan Institute to identify differences in strain maintenance; (2) Training in good practices in animal experimentation, including animal handling, rat restraint techniques, drug administration, and blood collection; (3) Induction of type 1 and type 2 diabetes associated with obesity in Wistar rats; (4) Monitoring glucose and insulin tolerance tests and discussing the results; (5) Histological processing (slide preparation and staining) of the spleen, thymus, lymph nodes, and bone marrow; (6) Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to assess antibody titers in the sera of immunized rats; (7) Monitoring the evaluation of the neutralizing capacity of antibodies produced after immunization and discussing the data; (8) Participation in research group meetings to discuss scientific articles on vaccines and immunogenic response in diabetes, particularly in Goto-Kakizaki rats. (AU)