Identificaton of the "immunological signature" of beneficial and pathological host responses to SARS-CoV2 infection

SARS-CoV2 is causing COVID19, which has developed into a pandemic in 2020. This has led to strong pressure on the healthcare system in the countries concerned, in particular intensive care units and the capacity of respirators. The immune system is essential for fighting SARS-CoV2 infection, but paradoxically, the immune system is also central to the pathological response that causes lung disease. However, at present there are no biomarkers or basic immunological knowledge that can predict the development of disease progression, or form the basis for selecting patients for respirators. The pandemic started in Wuhan, China, from where they spread globally. Thus, there is precious information from Wuhan patients that can be used for the benefit of new COVID19 patients. In this project, we will combine clinical information with single-cell sequencing data and immunological data from COVID19 patients from Wuhan and Denmark to gain deep insight into the immunological patterns that characterize protective and pathological responses to SARS-CoV2 infection. To this end, we combine leading expertise in infectious disease medicine, virology, immunology, single cell sequencing and artificial intelligence. The results of the project will lead to fundamentally new knowledge about disease mechanisms of COVID19, which can form the basis for rational immune-modulating treatment. In addition, the knowledge of the project can be immediately used to identify patients who are likely to develop serious illness.