The Importance of Measuring SARS-CoV-2-Specific T-Cell Responses in an Ongoing Pandemic

Linda Petrone, Alessandro Sette, Rory D. de Vries, Delia Goletti*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articleAcademicpeer-review

20 Citations (Scopus)
30 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Neutralizing antibodies are considered a correlate of protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19, although they are not the only contributing factor to immunity: T-cell responses are considered important in protecting against severe COVID-19 and contributing to the success of vaccination effort. T-cell responses after vaccination largely mirror those of natural infection in magnitude and functional capacity, but not in breadth, as T-cells induced by vaccination exclusively target the surface spike glycoprotein. T-cell responses offer a long-lived line of defense and, unlike humoral responses, largely retain reactivity against the SARS-CoV-2 variants. Given the increasingly recognized role of T-cell responses in protection against severe COVID-19, the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 variants, and the potential implementation of novel vaccines, it becomes imperative to continuously monitor T-cell responses. In addition to “classical” T-cell assays requiring the isolation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, simple whole-blood-based interferon-γ release assays have a potential role in routine T-cell response monitoring. These assays could be particularly useful for immunocompromised people and other clinically vulnerable populations, where interactions between cellular and humoral immunity are complex. As we continue to live alongside COVID-19, the importance of considering immunity as a whole, incorporating both humoral and cellular responses, is crucial.

Original languageEnglish
Article number862
JournalPathogens
Volume12
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The study was partially funded by Ricerca Corrente Linea 1 from the Italian Ministry of Health and by generous liberal donations funding for COVID-19 research to National Institute for Infectious Diseases from Esselunga S.p.A, Camera di Commercio, Industria e Artigianato di Roma, Società Numero Blu Servizi S.p.A., Fineco Bank S.p.A, Associazione magistrati della Corte dei conti, and Società Mocerino Frutta Secca s.r.l (resolutions no. 261 of 14 April 2021, no. 395 of 25 May 2021, no. 254 of 24 April 2021, and no. 257 of 14 April 2021). Medical writing support was partially funded by QIAGEN Manchester Ltd.

Publisher Copyright:© 2023 by the authors.

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