Scientists target coronavirus immunity puzzle

A new effort is under way to understand how the immune system responds to coronavirus.

Scientists from 17 UK research centres are attempting to answer questions such as how long immunity lasts and why disease severity varies so much.

The new UK Coronavirus Immunology Consortium (UK-CIC) says learning about immunity will help to fight the virus.

It has received £6.5m from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

Prof Mala Maini, a viral immunologist from University College London, who is leading one of the UK-CIC teams, said: “Our immune response to a virus is really what dictates how we respond when we get infected, how ill we get when we get an acute infection, how long we're protected after we've had the infection and how well we might respond to a vaccine.

“The immune system is underlying everything that's key to the response to this virus.”

Coronavirus immunity: Can you catch it twice?

The people with hidden immunity against Covid-19

Hong Kong reports 'first case' of virus reinfection

Does getting coronavirus make you immune?

Since the virus first emerged, scientists have been racing to learn about how our bodies respond to infection.

Prof Maini says for mild-to-moderate cases of Covid-19 the immune response seems to be “textbook”.

She explained: “All the right components of that complex immune system seem to be working together well.”

More severe cases

But the consortium is hoping to find out the role the immune system plays in more severe cases.

It is also seeking answers to how long immunity lasts. This week, researchers in Hong Kong reported the first documented case of re-infection.

Prof Paul Moss, UK-CIC principal investigator from the University of Birmingham, said: “It’s the first case out of millions, so we have to keep it in proportion.”

He said it was a concern that the immune response to coronavirus seemed to wane over time.

But he said the fact that the man had no symptoms during his second infection suggested the immune system could be effective at halting the disease.

The consortium will also be studying whether some people have pre-existing immunity to the virus, even though they have never been exposed to it.

Several studies have shown that an earlier encounter with some of the coronaviruses that cause the common cold enables the immune system to recognise the new coronavirus.

Prof Moss said a key question was to find out whether infection with other mild coronaviruses could protect you from catching Covid-19 or make you more ill.

Comments

Coronavirus: Can California's economy survive the latest surge?

Image copyright EPA Image caption California's coronavirus outbreak is hurting the tourism industry Earlier this year, California was praised for an early lockdown, which helped stem the pandemic in the US state. But cases have since surged. What's next for the Golden State, known for Hollywood, sunshine and celebrity? Scott DeAngelis spent a decade building up a lucrative tour guide operation on Hollywood Boulevard. For years tourists flocked to the Hollywood Walk of Fame and there was always enough work to go around. But now there are more palm trees than people and the stars once hard to find under the feet of potential customers, now bake, exposed to the midday sun. Hope was briefly on the horizon when California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a phased reopening plan. He said it would be a dimmer switch, gradually shining a brighter light at the end of this dark tunnel. But cases began to rise again after the Memorial Day weekend in late May - and the dimmer switch has n...

Coronavirus: Are women and children less affected?

Image copyright SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Women seem to be less likely to die from coronavirus than men, and children appear to be less likely to die than other age groups. Most people will get a mild infection, but the pattern is clear in the most severe cases. So what is going on? All the information we have is coming from a massive study by the Chinese Centres of Disease Control. It looked at 44,000 people and showed 2.8% of infected men died, compared with 1.7% of women. And 0.2% of children and teenagers died compared with nearly 15% of people over the age of 80. Are women and children less likely to catch coronavirus? There are two ways of explaining the findings. Either these groups are less likely to be infected in the first place, or their bodies are more able to cope with the virus. "Normally with new viruses circulating, everybody gets infected: that's the important point," says Dr Bharat Pankhania, from the University of Exeter. This is because there is no imm...

Coronavirus: How will deaf schoolchildren cope with face coverings? And other questions

Children are returning to school throughout the UK, many of them for the first time since lockdown in March. Here are some of your questions about the challenges ahead. Questions and answers Back to school Your questions Skip Back to school Is it a good idea to send kids back to school if they have a heart problem? from Zoe Corran in Bangor BBC News People who have a serious heart condition are more vulnerable to coronavirus. Many children with heart conditions will, until recently, have been shielding to protect themselves. Experts are now looking into whether as many children will need to shield in the future, given the reduced level of risk posed to children. Across the UK, children who have been shielding are expected to return to school. However, if a child has an extremely serious condition, your doctor can advice otherwise and parents should engage with the child’s school about the best way to continue their studies. If there is an increase in cases in an area and ...

News

Search This Blog