How COVID infection and vaccines change your innate immune memory
PROJECT 2: INNATE IMMUNITY
This work looks at whether COVID infection or vaccination creates long-lasting changes in the innate immune system of people who are infected or vaccinated.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Emory University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Atlanta, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11178460 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be asked to give blood and, in some cases, tissue samples at multiple visits after COVID infection or vaccination so researchers can follow your innate immune cells over time. The team will use single-cell ATAC-seq and other laboratory methods to look for epigenetic "imprints" in myeloid (innate) immune cells that might change how they respond to infections. They will compare people who are vaccinated, people who are infected, and people with sequential exposures to see if innate memory can be modified by additional vaccines or infections. The study also aims to examine these changes in tissues as well as blood to understand how broad protection against other pathogens might arise.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are adults who have had or expect to have SARS‑CoV‑2 infection or receive COVID vaccination and who are willing to provide blood and occasional tissue samples over time.
Not a fit: People who cannot provide blood or tissue samples, or who are neither infected nor vaccinated against SARS‑CoV‑2, are unlikely to receive direct benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help design vaccines or vaccine schedules that train the innate immune system to give broader protection against different infections.
How similar studies have performed: Prior work showed that an AS03‑adjuvanted influenza vaccine produced persistent epigenetic marks in blood myeloid cells and heightened resistance to other viruses, but applying these findings to SARS‑CoV‑2 is a newer direction.
Where this research is happening
Atlanta, United States
- Emory University — Atlanta, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ahmed, Rafi — Emory University
- Study coordinator: Ahmed, Rafi
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 below.