The COVID-19 pandemic is a global emergency threatening to take millions of lives in the United States and around the world. There is no current vaccine strategy against COVID-19 infection caused by a novel coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2. Studies with a related coronavirus called SARS-CoV-1 that caused the SARS outbreak in 2003 indicated that memory CD8+ T cells recognizing viral epitopes persisted for more than 6 years post infection while neutralizing antibodies and memory B cells were short-lived and were undetectable after a short period of time (Tang et al., 2011; Peng et al., 2006; Channappanavar et al., 2014). Thus, including viral epitopes that are recognized by memory CD8+ T cells is imperative for vaccines that can provide long-term immunity against SARS-CoV-2. In this study, blood samples from COVID-19 patients who have recovered from the infection will be used to identify the viral epitopes recognized by their memory CD8+ T cells. This will be accomplished using a genome-wide, high-throughput screening technology developed at Harvard Medical School (Kula et al., 2019) and licensed by the study sponsor, TScan Therapeutics. A 24,000-member library that tiles across all ~100 viral isolates of SARS-CoV-2 that have been sequenced so far has already been synthesized at TScan. Blood samples from convalescent patients are urgently needed to identify T cell receptors and immunogenic viral epitopes on SARS-CoV-2. It is the hope that these data will inform development of a vaccine with the potential for long-lasting protection against SARS-CoV-2.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 performed by The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) at a hospital using an FDA Emergency Use Authorized
molecular assay for COVID-19
- Age =>18 years at time of diagnosis of COVID-19
- Time since discontinuation of isolation of =>14 day following CDC criteria
- Ability to understand and willingness to sign an informed consent document
- No anti-pyretic use for =>17 days
- Ability to undergo blood draw for 4 tubes of blood containing approximately 7.5 mL of
blood each
- Ability to travel to an assigned lab for blood draw
- Ability to waive any claim to blood samples or data obtained for this study's purpose
Exclusion Criteria:
- Any serious medical or psychiatric disorder that would interfere with the subject's
safety
- Dementia, altered mental status, or any psychiatric condition that would prohibit the
understanding or rendering of informed consent
- Known blood disorder that would increase the risk of infection or bleeding from a
simple phlebotomy
Ochsner Clinic Foundation
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Atlantic Health System
Morristown, New Jersey, United States