Pathogenesis and immune response to SARS-CoV-2

Covid-19 presents an immediate global challenge to human health, societal infrastructure and food security. Understanding the mechanisms of pathogenesis and immune mediated control of infection will be essential to developing successful vaccines and immunotherapies forthis virus. This project will investigate the antibody responses to the aetiolgic agent of Covid-19, SARS-CoV-2. Acquiring samples from patients with acute severe infection, and from convalescent individuals, the specificity of antibodies to the spike protein, envelope protein and membrane protein will be assessed. We will utilise existing epitope mapping techniques, including random peptide display libraries, overlapping protein arrays, and site directed mutagenesis of SARS-CoV-2 pseudotypes to assess the importance of a range of immuongenic epitopes on the virus particle. We will also express recombinant viral proteins in vitro, and perform selection of antibody libraries to identify novel linear and conformation-sensitive CoV epitopes. This study will inform vaccine design, diagnostic assay development, and immunotherapies.