Sarris Lab

💥 Exciting News! Our latest research is now online @NatImmunol! Discover how prior infection or vaccination provides antibody-independent protection against heterologous SARS-CoV-2 challenge! 🧵🔬 (1/10) nature.com/articles/s4159… 2/ 🛡️ Shifting paradigms, our research highlights T cells' paramount role in defending against COVID-19 beyond antibody responses. Even in the complete absence of antibodies, T cells stand guard. 3/ 🧬 Our study utilized advanced mouse models, including a pioneering human/mouse ACE2 hybrid, to unveil that T cell immunity effectively counters various SARS-CoV-2 strains without relying on antibodies. 4/ 💪 Highlight of our findings: CD8+ T cells are crucial for combating severe infections, complemented by CD4+ T cells in less severe cases. The linchpin? Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), driving this antibody-independent protection. 5/ 🔄 Demonstrated across models mimicking the spectrum of disease severity, this research shows that T cells not only prevent disease but also curb early SARS-CoV-2 replication. 6/ 📚 Building on the collective efforts of many in the field, our study underscores T cells' essential and sufficient role in safeguarding against SARS-CoV-2, reinforcing the critical importance of cellular immunity in the fight against COVID-19. 7/ 🌐 While our findings support vaccine strategies enhancing T cell responses, it's essential to acknowledge the efficacy of current vaccines in eliciting T cell immunity. We advocate for evaluating T cell responses alongside antibodies to fully assess vaccine effectiveness and explore targeted strategies for optimal T cell activation. 8/ 🙌 A heartfelt thank you to our incredible team and collaborators, especially lead author @ValeFuma91, along with key contributors Micol Ravà and Davide Marotta, as well as our collaborators Luca Guidotti, Marco Bianchi, and Raffaele De Francesco. 9/ 🌟Appreciation to our supporters @ERC, @AIRC_it, @EMBO_YIP, @ArmeniseHarvard, @mur_gov_, @SanRaffaeleMI, @MyUniSR, Fondazione SAME, Fondazione Prossimo Mio. Thanks also to our reviewers and Nick Bernard for their invaluable contributions to our journey. 10/ Dive deeper into our study to grasp its impact on immunology and future vaccine development. We're eager to hear your thoughts and engage in discussions! nature.com/articles/s4159…. Your feedback and insights are invaluable. 📖💭

The last day of @KeystoneSymp Myeloid cells 2024! Little snow but lots of interesting new meetings and discussions! Back from lunch in town with @SarrisLab and @Sixt_Lab. Thanks again to the organisers @AndrsHidalgo16, @DanielaQuail and @lai9uan, whom we all missed dearly!

Read this week's Cancer Discovery #ResearchWatch: Tumors Reprogram Neutrophils to Promote Angiogenesis and Survival, summarizing the work of @im_mel_nology, @ImmanuelKwok, Leonard Tan, Changming Shi, @lai9uan et al. bit.ly/3UhT4kK @astar_SIgN

Dendritic cells can “self-shape” the chemotactic gradients that help them transport antigens to lymph nodes, finds a new live imaging study from @Sixt_Lab @EdouardHannezo. 📄: scim.ag/3Wv Focus by @hannahdonnelly_ @EMandrou @robinsall: scim.ag/3Wu