Phenotypic and functional characterization of the adaptive immune response during differential progression of COVID-19

Due to the recent appearance of the COVID-19 pandemic, our knowledge of the immunological mechanisms triggered by this infection, and their association with the disease severity, remain limited. This has made it difficult to suggest preventive and therapeutic strategies that have been developed for other infections and which might be extrapolated to COVID-19. Previous evidence may suggest that the severity of the disease in some patients is caused by an exacerbated inflammatory response against the virus. With this in mind, our project aims to characterize the phenotypic and functional alterations of adaptive immune cells in a panel of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 patients who show different clinical presentations of COVID-19. This information could help in the identification of possible therapeutic targets and also biomarkers likely to predict the clinical course of the patient. This information could then assist the treating physicians to take more assertive decisions