Immune Biomarker Group

Biomarkers play an important role in the prevention, diagnosis and in personalized treatment of diseases. Our innovative projects CoVnasal, CoVaKo and Early-Opt-COVID-19 contribute to the advancement of a medicine that can offer tailor-made treatments to patients.

CoVnasal

(Establishment of nasal biomarkers in SARS-CoV-2 infections for severity classification and immunity assessment)

Nasal immune response is the first line of defense against airborne viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2, that infect the respiratory tract. However, in most publications, the strength of systemic immunity is measured in serum. Currently, there is no information on whether antibody concentrations in serum represent immunity as well as in the nose. Nasal biomarkers for disease severity would be an ideal solution for selecting patients for the antiviral therapy, as they can be measured simultaneously with PCR testing, which can be used immediately for this personalized medicine approach. In the future, this analysis can be used especially for children.

CoVaKo

(Corona-Vaccine Consortium)

A scientific project funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and Art to investigate the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines. Therefore, the aim of the project is to record essential aspects of the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines as well as the course of possible breakthrough infections as soon as possible. The project is being carried out at the six Bavarian university hospitals in Augsburg, Munich (LMU and TUM), Erlangen, Würzburg, Regensburg and Augsburg.

Early-Opt-COVID19

(Early Immune Biomarkers for Optimization of COVID19)

COVID-19 patients present a versatile range of severity, from asymptomatic, through debilitating symptoms and up to critical conditions requiring hospitalization and oxygen support. Recently, we identified cytokine combinations, measured at day of hospitalization, that predict COVID-19 severity and mortality with high accuracy [Dorgham et al, J App Clin Immunology, 2021]. However, it is not known if this prediction could be applied in an earlier stage before hospitalization. Furthermore, no information is currently known to predict the development of symptomatic disease. Therefore, in prospective observational longitudinal study, we will collect clinical and laboratory data to study the immune kinetics in response to SARS-Cov-2 infection, with the aim to identify early biomarkers for COVID-19 severity and its association with other clinical, nutritional and environmental factors.