Systems Biology Approach to SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Individuals with known COVID-19 Contacts: A Prospective Cohort Study

项目概要/摘要 有了这个K38指导刺激访问研究住院医师过渡学者（StARRTS）奖，我 将发展必要的技能，成为一个独立资助的临床科学家，在 免疫学、系统生物学和疫苗学的交叉。我对翻译的长期承诺 而临床研究为我提供了这项工作的基础。在此期间，我将由博士指导。 Nadine Rouphael是转化免疫学专家，她是Hope Clinic的临时主任， 作为埃默里疫苗中心的一员，斯坦福大学的系统生物学专家BaliPulendran博士， Erin谢勒是B细胞生物学专家，也是希望诊所疫苗和治疗评估部门的负责人。 （VTEU）研究实验室和Christina Mehta博士，应用生物统计学系的专家， 埃默里大学罗林斯公共卫生学院的生物统计学和生物信息学。我会亲手 临床研究和生物统计培训以及与系统生物学相关的实验室方法培训， 并将参加实地研讨会。目前，我正在为我的R38研究年度注册受试者，并使用 SARS-CoV-2 IgM/IgG检测与PCR联合诊断方法的建立 检测以更好地识别无症状和轻度COVID-19患者。我们假设一个系统 生物学方法将确定预测COVID-19疾病的特定基线免疫特征 获得和严重程度，轻度和无症状的COVID-19将以特定的先天性和 适应性免疫反应我们提出了一个队列研究，以完成以下目标：1）确定基线 预测COVID-19疾病获得和严重程度的免疫标志物，以及2）表征先天性 无症状和轻度症状患者对SARS-CoV-2的适应性免疫应答 新冠肺炎。完成这些目标将使我更好地了解COVID-19，并使我能够 过渡到独立作为一个临床科学家。

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT With this K38 Mentored Stimulating Access to Research in Residency Transition Scholar (StARRTS) award, I will develop the necessary skills to become an independently funded clinician-scientist, working at the intersection of immunology, systems biology, and vaccinology. My longstanding commitment to translational and clinical research provides me with the foundation for this work. During this Award, I will be mentored by Dr. Nadine Rouphael, an expert in translational immunology, who is interim director of the Hope Clinic, the clinical arm of the Emory Vaccine Center, Dr. Bali Pulendran, an expert in systems biology at Stanford University, Dr. Erin Scherer, an expert in B-cell biology and director of the Hope Clinic Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit (VTEU) Research Laboratory, and Dr. Christina Mehta, an expert in applied biostatistics in the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics at the Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University. I will have hands on clinical research and biostatistical training as well as training in laboratory methods related to systems biology, and will attend workshops in the field. Currently, I am enrolling subjects for my R38 research year and using the combined diagnostic methods of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM/IgG testing and symptom-driven SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing to better identify individuals with asymptomatic and mild COVID-19. We hypothesize that a systems biology approach will identify specific baseline immunologic signatures, which predict COVID-19 disease acquisition and severity and that mild and asymptomatic COVID-19 will be characterized by a specific innate and adaptive immune responses. We propose a cohort study to complete the following aims: 1) To identify baseline immunologic markers predictive of COVID-19 disease acquisition and severity, and 2) To characterize the innate and adaptive immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 in individuals with asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic COVID-19. Completion of these aims will provide a better understanding of COVID-19 and position me to transition to independence as a clinician-scientist.