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The role of regulatory T cells in COVID-19.

Grant number: 23/07477-9
Support Opportunities:Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
Start date: January 01, 2024
End date: December 31, 2025
Field of knowledge:Biological Sciences - Immunology - Cellular Immunology
Principal Investigator:João Santana da Silva
Grantee:Bruna Amanda da Cruz Rattis
Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In COVID-19, T regulatory cells may play a determining role in disease severity, but the exact mechanisms by which Tregs affect the course of the disease are not yet fully understood. Additionally, little is known about the influence of these cells on the immunity induced by vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. SpiNTec is a chimeric vaccine effective in promoting a protective immune response mediated by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, significantly reducing viral load and pathological changes of COVID-19 in animal models and currently in phase I/II clinical trials. Moreover, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 and CoronaVac vaccines are already widely used, but there are no studies determining the actions of Tregs in the immunization process. Thus, the aim of this study is to determine the role of Tregs in COVID-19 in the context of disease and vaccine-induced immunity. Preliminarily, we observed that SpiNTec reduces the frequency of these cells in the lung. Furthermore, infection with the Omicron variant showed modulation of Tregs, where a higher frequency of these cells can be observed in the lungs and spleen at 5 days post-infection compared to 10 days post-infection, which may be responsible for controlling excessive inflammation.

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