# Household Respiratory Virus SARS-CoV-2 Transmission and Immunity Sub-Study (HRTS)

> **NIH NIH U01** · ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL · 2021 · $3,407,968

## Abstract

The pandemic created by the novel human coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has generated many
unanswered questions on the best practices for prevention and treatment for those with COVID-
19 disease. The mechanism behind the lack of apparent disease susceptibility in children is also
unresolved. To answer these most critical questions, we require data on how the host immune
system responds to SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease. Longitudinal cohorts
established in naive populations are necessary for careful profiling of immune responses,
disease severity, and the generation of protective memory. Disease presentation and outcome
has been highly variable among age groups and those with various underlying conditions,
complicating study design. Large well-characterized human cohorts are costly to initiate and
difficult to develop quickly. In this study, we propose to use the DIVINCI Consortium cohorts,
three geographically distinct human birth cohorts, which are already established and
successfully running to be able to immediately begin sampling individuals with suspected or
confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Importantly, all three cohorts have the ability to collect
household samples, providing insights into immunity and disease progression across a broad
age range. We propose to collect respiratory samples, breast milk, stool/rectal swab, and
serum/PBMC samples, and from those samples, exhaustively assay the host immune response
to SARS-CoV-2. Based on the study design, we will be able to compare naive time points to
those during active infection as well as samples from individuals who remained asymptomatic
compared to those who develop varying degrees of symptoms. Our study proposes to
comprehensively measure immune cell populations in the peripheral blood in naive (baseline)
samples and convalescent samples (after infection.) We propose to develop novel reagents for
measuring SARS-CoV-2-specific T and B cells. Further, we propose to measure SARS-CoV-2
viral diversity and evolution. Finally, we will be able to extensively assay serological samples to
determine measurable differences in the response between individuals with mild and severe
infection and asymptomatic and symptomatic infection, and track their subsequent susceptibility
to re-infection. The DIVINCI consortium is uniquely situated to have immediate response to the
SARS-CoV-2 pandemic with the ultimate goal of a more complete understanding of the virus
and the disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10265686
- **Project number:** 3U01AI144616-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** AUBREE L GORDON
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $3,407,968
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-06-03 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10265686

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10265686, Household Respiratory Virus SARS-CoV-2 Transmission and Immunity Sub-Study (HRTS) (3U01AI144616-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10265686. Licensed CC0.

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