How COVID and social conditions affect inflammation-linked depression risk
Official title: SARS-CoV-2 and Social Determinants of Health Impact on Inflammation Associated Depression Risk (SSIDR)
Funded at University of Texas at Austin · NIH-11308940 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether COVID infections and social factors change inflammatory molecules that raise the chance of long-term depression in adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Texas at Austin NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Austin, United States) |
| Project start | July 5, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $565,604 |
| NIH project number | 7R01MH136492-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11308940 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults aged 21 and older with a history of SARS‑CoV‑2 infection or reinfection who can provide medical history and blood samples would be the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without prior SARS‑CoV‑2 infection, those unwilling to provide samples or social history, or patients whose depression is unrelated to inflammation are unlikely to benefit directly.
What this research studies
You would be invited to share your COVID history, social and medical background, and give blood samples so researchers can measure inflammatory fats called eicosanoids. The team will use advanced mass spectrometry to count hundreds of these molecules and compare people who had one or more SARS‑CoV‑2 infections to those who did not. They will also link those biological patterns to social determinants of health like housing, income, and stress to see if social conditions amplify neuroimmune responses. Together this aims to explain why some adults develop long-term inflammation-related depression after COVID and point to ways to prevent or treat it.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help identify biological markers and social risk factors to predict who is more likely to develop post‑COVID depression and guide prevention or treatment.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work, including EMBARC, has linked eicosanoids to depression and post‑COVID inflammation, so this builds on emerging evidence though the combined focus on eicosanoid profiling and social determinants is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kim, Linda Y. — University of Texas at Austin
- Study coordinator: Kim, Linda Y.
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.