The specificity of the adaptive immune response (AIR), and its balance between effector T cells (Teffs) and regulatory T cells (Tregs), is most likely a major determinant of the outcome of a Covid-19 infection. We aim to analyze (i) the cellular components and (ii) the specificity of the AIR to COVID-19 in 60 patients with moderate and severe form of the disease. This should have important implications for (i) understanding the pathophysiology of the disease, (ii) discovering biomarkers of severity and (iii) designing treatments and vaccines.
The quality of the adaptive immune response (AIR) to COVID-19 probably determines the course
of the disease. Therefore, a comprehensive knowledge of the immune response to COVID-19 is
required to better anticipate its outcome and identify vaccine targets. In particular, the
quality of an AIR can be investigated by immunophenotyping (enumerating immune cells and
assessing their fitness) and by analyzing the T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire.
The cellular components of the AIR will be analyzed by a deep immunophenotyping generating
>800 measures assessing immune cells quantitatively and qualitatively (Pitoiset et al.,2018).
Combined with supervised and unsupervised analyses, it has the power to detect subtle/hidden
abnormalities.
The specificity will be analyzed by studying the global T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire of
separated Tregs and Teffs from peripheral blood, as well as by single cell sequencing of
cells from bronchoalveolar lavages.
These combined approaches should uncover parameters/abnormalities of the AIR linked to the
infection severity and outcome, and lead to a better understanding of the nature of the Tregs
and Teffs repertoires against COVID-19. This will have important implications for (i)
understanding the pathophysiology of the disease, (ii) discovering biomarkers of severity and
(iii) designing treatments and vaccines.
Inclusion criteria :
- Age≥18 and ≤75 years
- Presenting a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 disease in accordance with WHO diagnostic
criteria;
- Good venous capital ;
- Affiliation to a social security system;
- Having declared his/her non-opposition to participation in research (for patients
hospitalized in intensive care units who are not able to communicate, the
non-opposition of a trusted person will be sought.)
Exclusion criteria :
- Still under the exclusion period from another biomedical study
- Psychiatric illness or addiction that could interfere with the ability to comply with
the requirements of the protocol or to give consent to participate in the study;
- Patient benefiting from a legal protection measure
Hôpital Pitie Salpétrère
Paris, France
David KLATZMANN, MD, PhD, Principal Investigator
Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris