Project Grant K08AI178093

This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), will provide $192,888 over a 5-year period from August 23, 2024 to July 31, 2029 to support research on SARS-CoV-2 immune responses in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

The key goals of this project are to: 1) Evaluate the generation, differentiation, breadth, and persistence of SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ T cell responses in NHL/CLL patients after vaccination and infection; 2) Define the primary and memory SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8+ T cell responses after vaccination and infection in this patient population; and 3) Support the transition of the Principal Investigator from a trainee to an independent researcher. The research will utilize a cohort of over 600 NHL/CLL patients with longitudinal blood samples to gain in-depth knowledge on adaptive immune responses in this immunosuppressed patient group. This knowledge is expected to inform the design of interventions to improve vaccine responses and protect high-risk patients from severe viral infections like SARS-CoV-2 and influenza.