As research is published by UK-CIC collaborators, we will be sharing summaries of their work using jargon-free language. We have been working with the members of our Patient and Public Involvement Panel as each summary is written to ensure their accessibility, and we thank them for their role in doing so.
Each paper is listed by research theme, however some involve aspects of more than one theme and so will be listed under each as relevant. Public summaries can also be accessed through the publications listing of each paper.
Theme 1| Primary immunity
Why are some people's immune systems better able to fight off the virus?
- Key inflammatory markers identified in COVID-19. Research by Thwaites et al., published in Science Immunology.
Theme 2 | Protective immunity
What parts of the immune system are involved in generating a protective response against COVID-19 and how long does this immunity last?
- Cellular immunity to SARS-CoV-2 found at six months in non-hospitalised individuals. Research by Zuo et al., published in Nature Immunology.
- Prior SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with protection against reinfection. Research by Hanrath et al., published in the Journal of Infection.
- Pfizer vaccine induces robust T cell responses against new SARS-CoV-2 variants. Research by Skelly et al., pre-print (not yet peer-reviewed) available via Research Square.
- The effect of Spike mutations on SARS-CoV-2 neutralisation. Research by Rees-Spear et al., published in Cell reports.
- Dual dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine creates strong antibody responses in older people. Research by Parry et al., preprint (not yet peer-reviewed) available on The Lancet's preprint server.
- Delaying second Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines to 12 weeks significantly increases antibody responses in older people. Research by Parry et al., preprint (not yet peer-reviewed) available via medRxiv.
- MAIT cells play an important role in the effectiveness of adenovirus vector vaccines. Research by Provine et al., published in Science.
Theme 3 | Immunopathology
How does the immune system respond to SARS-CoV-2 on a molecular and cellular level and what happens when the immune system overreacts?
Theme 4 | Cross-reactive coronavirus immunity
Does immunity to previous infection with seasonal coronaviruses (which cause the common cold) alter a person's outcome with SARS-CoV-2?
- Both T cell and antibody responses important in COVID-19 immunity at 4 months post infection. Published by Reynolds et al. in Science Immunology.
Theme 5| Immune evasion
How does SARS-CoV-2 'hide from' the immune system and how can this be tackled?