With a recent $200,000 grant from the American Lung Association, a team at University Hospitals aims to unearth potential immunologic mechanisms and understanding of COVID-19 upon longstanding consequences and outcomes.
Nearly three years since the start of the pandemic, and with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 still circulating, scientists continue to investigate how best to treat it, officials noted.
“There is an urgent need to better understand the pathobiology and both long-term and immediate clinical implications of SARS-CoV-2 viral infection that leads to COVID-19’s death rates,” said Dr. Kenneth E. Remy, division of pulmonary/critical care and pediatric critical care, principal study investigator.
“The pandemic showed us that we need to increase our knowledge about the potential emerging threat of other novel respiratory viruses — thanks to this grant, UH will be at the forefront of this work.”
According to a news release, the two-year grant will provide researchers with resources to:
• Gain a new understanding of the basic biology of respiratory viruses that could lead to better treatment and prevention
• Identify host factors that alter response to the infections
• Investigate individual, regional, or social factors increasing or decreasing community spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses
• Learn epidemiological approaches to understanding COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses while tracking cases
Remy and his team received support from the American Lung Association because of evidence of their ongoing excellence and productivity in the fields of immune phenotyping (observable characteristics or traits of an organism) and surveillance.
Remy’s previous work was among the first in the world to demonstrate early in the pandemic the immunosuppressive effects of the SARs-CoV-2 virus, the release stated.
According to UH, research projects funded by the American Lung Association are carefully selected through rigorous scientific review and awardees represent the investigation of a wide range of complex issues.
For more information, visit lung.org/research-team.