University of Sheffield

The Sheffield team are investigating:

1. How the body’s immune system responds to SARS-CoV-2 and why some people suffer severe, life-threatening Covid-19 while others have mild or asymptomatic infections, but can still transmit the virus. They will examine the role of circulating immune cells called myeloid cells – and why they can sometimes trigger the disruption of blood vessels in tissues like the lung and brain, causing major complications.
2. How T cells, a type of lymphocyte that develops in the thymus gland and plays a central role in the immune response, contribute to immunity to the virus to prevent re-infection, how long this persists, and, if re-infection does occur, whether this is due to immunity waning or because the virus can ‘escape’ from this response.