Investigation of mucosal immunity after infection and vaccination in Covid recovered individuals

Honours

Antibodies are produced as a result of an infection or vaccination and are important for establishing protective immunity. The measurement of antibodies has, therefore, been widely studied to understand immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 vaccines.

However, the majority of these studies have focused exclusively on antibodies detected in the blood and far less is reported on antibodies found as part of mucosal immunity in the upper respiratory tract region which is the primary entry route for the virus.

In this project, the student will investigate the magnitude and persistence of mucosal SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies found in saliva after SARS-CoV-2 primary and breakthrough infections and COVID-19 vaccinations using a Luminex multiplex antibody assay (Mazhari R, et al. Methods Protoc. 2021 Oct 9;4(4):72).

The Mueller lab consists of a dynamic group of researchers that focus on, and has vast expertise in, infectious disease antibody measurement, epidemiology, disease modelling and host-pathogen interactions.

In 2020 The Mueller lab initiated and established a longitudinal Victorian COVID-19 cohort. One of the objectives of this study was to gain a detailed understanding of the longevity of immune responses following infection and COVID-19 vaccinations and to investigate immunological factors associated with long-term complications following infection.