How weakened immune systems affect long-lasting COVID-19 infections and viral changes
Official title: The effects of immunosuppression on SARS-CoV-2 persistence, virus genetic diversity and clinical outcomes of COVID-19
Funded at New York University School of Medicine · NIH-11308774 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are learning how COVID-19 can persist and change in people with weakened immune systems, especially those with blood cancers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | New York University School of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | April 2, 2025 |
| Project end | May 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $169,500 |
| NIH project number | 7R21AI182901-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11308774 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people with weakened immune systems—particularly those with hematologic (blood) cancers—who have prolonged or recurrent SARS-CoV-2 infection.
✕Less likely to help
People with healthy immune systems or those who clear COVID-19 quickly are unlikely to benefit directly from this research.
What this research studies
If you join, doctors would follow people with weakened immunity who have prolonged COVID-19 and collect respiratory samples and blood over time. The team will sequence the virus from those samples to track how it mutates and measure patients' immune responses. They will compare different immune backgrounds and clinical courses to see which factors allow the virus to persist and evolve. Findings will link viral changes to symptoms, treatments, and how long people remain infectious.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: This work could help doctors choose better treatments, reduce long infections, and lessen the risk of new vaccine- or treatment-resistant variants spreading.
How similar studies have gone: Individual case reports have shown persistent infection and within-person viral evolution in immunocompromised patients, but larger systematic studies like this are still limited.
Where this research is happening
-
New York University School of Medicine
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Salvatore, Mirella — New York University School of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Salvatore, Mirella
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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.