How immune responses shape COVID-19's shift from outbreak to regular circulation
Official title: Immunological drivers of the transition from epidemicity to endemicity of SARS-CoV-2 in a high transmission LMIC setting
Funded at Yale University · NIH-11469885 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how different antibody and mucosal immune responses after infection or vaccination affect COVID-19 spread in people living in a crowded urban community.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project start | February 21, 2023 |
| Project end | January 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $90,289 |
| NIH project number | 3R01AI174105-04S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11469885 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people living in the high-transmission urban community in Brazil (including adults and children) who can provide blood and nasal samples and attend follow-up visits.
✕Less likely to help
People seeking immediate clinical treatment for COVID-19 or those not living in or able to travel to the study community are unlikely to directly benefit from participating.
What this research studies
You would join a long-running community cohort in a crowded urban neighborhood in Brazil where researchers have tracked infections since 2003. The team regularly collects blood and mucosal (nasal) samples and records people’s past infections and vaccinations. They measure how strong antibody levels are and how broadly those antibodies recognize virus variants, plus mucosal immune responses. Over time they compare who gets infected again to learn which immune patterns best protect people.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help public health officials and clinicians focus vaccination and monitoring strategies on the types of immune responses that most reduce infection risk.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies show antibodies and mucosal immunity matter for protection, but comparing the relative importance of antibody magnitude versus breadth in a high-transmission LMIC community over time is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Yale University
New Haven, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ko, Albert Icksang — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Ko, Albert Icksang
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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.