1. Whole blood‐based measurement of SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific T cells reveals asymptomatic infection and vaccine immunogenicity in healthy subjects and patients with solid‐organ cancers
- Author
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Charlotte Young, Lucy C. Fairclough, Andrew D. Westwell, Kerry Roberts, Kate Davies, Thomas Tozer, Stephanie E A Burnell, Paddy Tighe, Tara Rees, Amanda Jackson, B. Paul Morgan, Awen Gallimore, Martin J. Scurr, Michelle Somerville, Mererid Evans, Andrew James Godkin, George Lippiatt, Wioleta M. Zelek, Mark R. Wills, Helen Lawton, and Lorenzo Capitani
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,COVID-19 Vaccines ,Adolescent ,T cell ,Immunology ,T cells ,Asymptomatic ,SARS‐CoV‐2 ,Interferon-gamma ,Immunogenicity, Vaccine ,Immunity ,COVID‐19 ,vaccine ,Blood plasma ,medicine ,Immunology and Allergy ,antibodies ,Humans ,Aged ,Aged, 80 and over ,Immunity, Cellular ,biology ,business.industry ,SARS-CoV-2 ,Vaccination ,Cancer ,COVID-19 ,Original Articles ,Middle Aged ,Th1 Cells ,medicine.disease ,Vaccine efficacy ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Carrier State ,biology.protein ,Original Article ,Female ,Antibody ,medicine.symptom ,business - Abstract
Accurate assessment of SARS‐CoV‐2 immunity is critical in evaluating vaccine efficacy and devising public health policies. Whilst the exact nature of effective immunity remains incompletely defined, SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific T‐cell responses are a critical feature that will likely form a key correlate of protection against COVID‐19. Here, we developed and optimized a high‐throughput whole blood‐based assay to determine the T‐cell response associated with prior SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and/or vaccination amongst 231 healthy donors and 68 cancer patients. Following overnight in vitro stimulation with SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific peptides, blood plasma samples were analysed for TH1‐type cytokines. Highly significant differential IFN‐γ+/IL‐2+ SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific T‐cell responses were seen amongst previously infected COVID‐19‐positive healthy donors in comparison with unknown / naïve individuals (p, SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic continues to cause morbidity and mortality especially in vulnerable patients. Monitoring individuals T and B cell responses to the virus is desirable in high risk populations after infection and/or vaccination. This paper describes a straightforward approach on a small whole blood sample to measure these responses.
- Published
- 2021