Investigating the genetic and epigenetic basis of immune response to SARS- CoV-2 vaccination

During the COVID-19 pandemic, mass vaccination schemes were rolled out in an unprecedented international action to curb and contain viral spread. Human immune response to COVID-19 vaccination varies between individuals, with some individuals at risk of mounting a low response to vaccination. While we know that people with immunosuppression or immunodeficiency do not respond well to vaccinations and are at risk of severe disease, in other individuals the basis for a poor vaccine response is unknown. We therefore cannot predict poor responders to COVID-19 vaccination in other individuals and have a limited understanding of the underlying genetic and epigenetic mechanisms contributing to this extreme response. I aim to utilize the national COVID-19 Infection Survey (CIS) to study individuals with extreme responsiveness to vaccination in the general UK population and understand the genetic contributions to vaccine response using both serological and cellular immune profiling. I will attempt to identify genetic factors driving differences in the immune response to vaccination, then further investigate factors correlated with the low response using multiple follow-up experiments as these identified factors can potentially act as biomarkers that may be used to predict vaccine response in the future and help inform vaccine design.