T cell response may last long in recovered COVID-19 patients
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| Researchers confirmed that T cells' normal immune response was induced when patients fully recovered from COVID-19 |
The Korean researchers have presented the world's first discovery of functions and characteristics of Covid-19-specific T cells, suggesting the immune response may last for quite an extended period.
The study, conducted by a joint research team of the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases (KSID) and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), suggests that patients who recovered from COVID-19 will show T cells immune response for a fairly long time.
Most COVID-19 patients recover naturally after suffering mild symptoms and form memory T cell afterward.
These T cells are immune cells that induce rapid recovery from infection with immune response and protect against the previously encountered pathogen. However, it has been challenging to understand immune response against COVID-19 because researchers lacked the details, including changes in the number of T cells and their properties and functions, during the process of recovery.
The joint research team used an up-to-date research technique known as MHC-I to stain polymer instead of using the existing method to detect Covid 19-specific T cells and measure the ability to secrete cytokines.
Researchers confirmed that T cells' normal immune response was induced when patients fully recovered from COVID-19, and the number of these cells resembling stem cells began to increase in the late convalescent stage.
"We have discovered that patients showed an immune response of T cells after recovering from COVID-19," Dr. Rha Min-seok at KAIST said. "The discovery of these properties has given momentum to characterize the T cell immune response induced by the COVID-19 vaccine."
KSID Director Peck Kyong-ran said, "This study was a successful case in which Korean infectious disease doctors and physicians in basic medicine drew significant outcomes during the pandemic."
Peck added that researchers would continue similar studies and make domestic medicine a leading role to help relieve Covid-19 problems.
The study, titled "PD-1-expressing SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8+ T cells are not exhausted, but functional in patients with COVID-19," was published in the journal Immunity on Dec. 10.
This study is evaluated as the most elaborate among those identifying Covid-19-specific T cell responses' characteristics and functions.