Establishment of long-term humoral memory against SARS-CoV-2 after vaccination versus infection (28)

• Subject Area: Immunology
• Term: from 2020 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 215346292

Currently, there are almost no data available about long-term B cell memory after infection with SARS-CoV-2 or other coronaviruses via the respiratory tract. Therefore, our long-term goal is to understand in detail the induction of a humoral memory response during natural SARS-CoV-2 infection and compare the response with that induced by different vaccination protocols. These studies will provide a clearer picture of how protective long-lived humoral immunity against SARS-CoV-2 is induced and whether B cell responses differ between a single infection and various vaccine protocols. This knowledge might be extrapolated to other respiratory coronaviruses and help to establish vaccination protocols for a future pandemic by SARS virus variants or other zoonotic respiratory pathogens.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios
• Subproject of: TRR 130: B Cells: Immunity and Autoimmunity
• Applicant Institution: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Hans-Martin Jäck; Professor Dr. Thomas Winkler; Professor Dr. Klaus Überla