# Characterizing the Immune Response to COVID-19 Infection in Atopic Dermatitis

> **NIH NIH U01** · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · 2020 · $244,936

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
 Great efforts are made in the face of the pandemic to understand anti-viral immune responses to
COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2. It is crucial to understand immune responses in moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis
(AD) patients who are on systemic immune-modulating medications and are infected with COVID-19. AD
patients(with and without asthma), are at increased risk for viral infections. Characterizing responses to
COVID-19 infection in AD patients may guide the way these patients are treated, and inform on whether
treatments need to be modified or discontinued in the instance of asymptomatic or symptomatic infections.
Although some studies have shown that Th2 cytokines (among other cytokines) are elevated in severely ill
patients admitted to ICUs with pneumonia secondary to COVID-19, no efforts have been published thus far
evaluating the role of Th2 inflammation in severity of symptoms and outcomes in patients with COVID-19.
Furthermore, the incidence and severity of COVID-19 symptoms among patients receiving Th2 blockade for
atopic dermatitis with dupilumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting the IL-4/IL-13 signaling IL-4R receptor alpha
subunit, has not been evaluated. It has long been believed that abnormally elevated Th2-axis polarization in
the setting of AD and asthma patients may negatively impact the ability of the immune system to induce
appropriate Th1 response, as evidenced by the higher rate of viral infections in these patients. Also, as African
Americans seem to be disproportionately affected by COVID-19, understanding if there are ethnic differences
in mounting COVID-19 responses in the setting of systemic and biologic treatments (i.e dupilumab), is crucial.
This study is in scope to the parent award (RFA-AI-19-015), as we are an ADRN clinical site, and this study
focuses on understanding COVID-19 in AD patients with different phenotypes based on ethnicity, treatment
and severity. We are requesting an administrative supplement under NOT-AI-20-031 to support this project.
 The hypothesis of this study is that Th2 blockade preferentially promotes a Th1-skewed anti-viral
immune response, leading to decreased or asymptomatic clinical severity with SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19
infection. The aims of this study are: 1) To evaluate the incidence and severity of COVID-19 among patients
currently treated for AD dupilumab (as compared to a group of AD patients treated with broad oral immune
suppressants); 2) To evaluate whether African American patients with AD on dupilumab have milder symptoms
in the setting of COVID-19 compared to African American patients treated with other immune suppressants,
and whether there are differences in mounting viral responses between patients of different ethnicities treated
with dupilumab; 3) To evaluate and characterize immune responses in AD patients with reported symptoms of
COVID-19 on dupilumab and other broad immunosuppressants using proteomic and transcriptomic
approaches.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10159603
- **Project number:** 3U01AI152036-01S1
- **Recipient organization:** ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI
- **Principal Investigator:** Emma Guttman
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $244,936
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-06-04 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10159603

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10159603, Characterizing the Immune Response to COVID-19 Infection in Atopic Dermatitis (3U01AI152036-01S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10159603. Licensed CC0.

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