SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell immunity in cases of COVID-19 and SARS, and uninfected controls

Dr. Nina Le Bert from Duke NUS, discusses her recent involvement in the study of SARS-CoV-2 specific T cell immunity, specifically looking at the induction and persistence of T cells using an overlapping peptide library of specific proteins in SARS-CoV-2 to test convalescent patients' IFN-gamma responses to these peptides. Using a cohort of individuals who were infected and recovered in 2003 with SARS, and a similar approach of overlapping peptides from SARS-CoV, she is able to show there are still persistent ex vivo T cell responses. Importantly, she also highlights the cross reactivity of NP peptides from SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2.