# Profiling the immune response to convalescent plasma therapy during severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection

> **NIH NIH R21** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $204,688

## Abstract

Project Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to grow at an exponential pace around the globe threatening health
systems and the world economy. In the 9 months since the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus was identified as the
cause of the life-threatening disease COVID-19, there have been over 20.6 million confirmed cases and over
750,000 deaths globally. With few options for treatment and no vaccine, the immediate outlook remains grim.
Even in less severe cases, illness can be prolonged, recovery slow with long term consequences, such as
immunity to re-infection and chronic complications remain largely unknown. Convalescent plasma from
recovered individuals is being increasingly used as a stopgap treatment to mitigate disease morbidity and
mortality and slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Although COVID-19 convalescent plasma appears to
be well-tolerated and there is general enthusiasm for the treatment, randomized clinical trials will be required to
determine efficacy not to mention optimum delivery. Surprisingly, convalescent plasma therapy (CPT) has
been used historically for the treatment and prevention of numerous infectious diseases, but the mechanisms
of action are not fully understood. Likewise, the effects of CPT on the host immune response to the specific
pathogen are not well defined. The primary goal of this application is to identify cellular and molecular immune
signatures that predict COVID-19 outcomes and clinical response to therapy. We propose to leverage samples
from ongoing convalescent plasma clinical trials at Johns Hopkins to link CPT-induced immune signatures with
clinical outcomes. We will utilize a unique pipeline of advanced flow cytometry, single cell next generation
sequencing and antibody profiling to provide a focused map charting the effects of CPT on SARS-CoV-2-
specific T cells and antibody. We will determine the COVID-19 antibody profile and neutralization capacity in
convalescent donors and define how CPT subsequently shapes the COVID-19 antibody profile at epitope
resolution in recipients. These exploratory studies will provide a basis for identifying disease-associated
immune signatures with prognostic and/or predictive value which is a critical step in identifying targets for
intervention and correlates of protection.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10373738
- **Project number:** 1R21AI161437-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Jay H. Bream
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $204,688
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-04-13 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10373738

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10373738, Profiling the immune response to convalescent plasma therapy during severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (1R21AI161437-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-01 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10373738. Licensed CC0.

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