COVID-19 Considerations for Basic and Translational Research

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This discussion board is devoted to conversations directly relevant to research. Example topics include:
• Sample/tissue collection
• Model/reagent development
• Highlighting emerging literature
• Data sharing/opportunities for collaboration
• Pre-clinical observations
• Translational insights
• Research hypotheses
  • 1.  About the COVID-19 Basic and Translational Research Forum

    Posted 03-20-2020 17:25
    Purpose: Conversations directly relevant to research

    Audience: Laboratory and translational scientists

    Suggested topics: Data sharing, emerging literature, sample/tissue collection, model/reagent development, opportunities for collaboration, translational insights, research hypotheses

    This forum contains several discussion threads that were started to help organize the information and allow users to quickly find relevant conversations. These topics are not meant to be comprehensive or limiting and new threads as well as additional related questions within existing conversations are welcomed.


  • 2.  RE: About the COVID-19 Basic and Translational Research Forum

    Posted 03-21-2020 20:37
    Thank you SITC for setting this up. I believe that a number of our members, like myself, have started to research COVID-19. Much of what cancer immunologists have learned investigating the immune response to cancer immunity can be applied to evaluating immunity to 2019-nCoV.  As SITC has always served as conveners of investigators across disciplines to discuss cancer immunotherapy, now it provides an opportunity for the global community to gather and bolster our virology colleagues in the battle the world is waging against this disease. Expect the topics to include genomics/epigenetics, engineering of neutralizing antibodies, single cell analyses, effects of costimulation, checkpoint blockade, and vaccine strategies, as well as cytokine support and blockade strategies- to name a few. I am certain that there is much we can learn from each other that will help us understand this and other related infectious diseases. I look forward to participating in this forum and to learning from others who are thinking about and performing research in this area.

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    Bernard Fox PhD
    Harder Family Chair for Cancer Research
    Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, Providence Cancer Institute
    Portland OR
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  • 3.  RE: About the COVID-19 Basic and Translational Research Forum

    Posted 03-23-2020 16:26
    Dear Bernie, 
    This is a fantastic initiative. On a very practical level can anyone comment on the environment in which they are dealing with the samples form those with suspected or confirmed infection- from collection, processing and storage. In the UK there is government guidance on clinical/diagnostic setting but not research labs and I am keen to understand your practice?

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    Samra Turajlic PhD, MRCP
    Clinician Scientist
    The Francis Crick Institute
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  • 4.  RE: About the COVID-19 Basic and Translational Research Forum

    Posted 03-25-2020 11:56
      |   view attached

    COMMENT ABOUT HANDLING SAMPLES:

    Samra:
    I agree. This Website is a positive development.. 

    Sorry for delay. Still setting up.  HERE IS WHAT WE ARE DOING...

    We have converted an unused negative pressure suite containing 100% externally vented BSC cabinets to handle research samples for limited number of studies. We are using protective gowning, double gloves, face shields and facemarks. Samples are being handled by a trained virologist or myself. These are focussed on determining optimal method to decontaminate PPE that are "contaminated" with a specific dose of virus. Our plan is to inoculate Vero cells with samples from the contaminated masks subjected to VHP, UV, ethanol, drying, etc. We will then watch for CPE. We then plan to send some of the "positive" samples to a BSL3 lab to process. I believe that this follows the..
     

    Interim Laboratory Biosafety Guidelines for Handling and Processing Specimens Associated with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

    Summary of Recent Changes

    https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/lab/lab-biosafety-guidelines.html

    At this time my lab is not performing Virus isolation in cell culture or initial characterization of viral agents recovered in cultures of SARS-CoV-2 specimens.

    These procedures are recommended to be performed in a Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) laboratory.


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    Bernard Fox PhD
    Harder Family Chair for Cancer Research
    Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, Providence Cancer Institute
    Portland OR
    ------------------------------

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  • 5.  RE: About the COVID-19 Basic and Translational Research Forum

    Posted 03-25-2020 12:03
    Our university has a BSL3 only rule for ALL translational research COVID samples, blood included.  They are going the very cautious route.

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    Evan Lind PhD
    Assistant Professor
    Oregon Health & Science University
    Portland OR
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  • 6.  RE: About the COVID-19 Basic and Translational Research Forum

    Posted 03-21-2020 21:25
    Thanks to SITC for setting this up -
    Virologists and cancer immunologists can certainly learn a lot from each other in these times. Being a trained Virologist before entering the field of immunotherapy, I offer my expertise in immune phenotyping human immune responses in patients with cancer and autoimmunity. We have multi-omics platforms such as high dimensional mass cytometry, Cite-Seq (single cell RNA sequencing) and a vast experience in using human samples from blood and tissues from clinical trials to offer. Look forward to discussions and possible collaborations.

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    Carsten Krieg PhD
    Assistant Professor
    Medical University of South Carolina
    Charleston SC
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  • 7.  RE: About the COVID-19 Basic and Translational Research Forum

    Posted 03-22-2020 07:32
    I am interested in how we can study the effects of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 on the host's immune system.
    1. What is known now? (If anyone has relevant references please share--I added some)
    2. What do we still need to understand that we can address?
    3. What are the best ways to address #2?
    Please let me know if you are interested or have thoughts on this. Happy to set up collaborations also.


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    James L. Gulley, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.P.
    Chief, Genitourinary Malignancies Branch
    Head, Immunotherapy Group, GMB
    Director, Medical Oncology Service
    Center for Cancer Research, NCI, NIH
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    BioRXive Serologic.pdf   331 KB 1 version
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    BioRXive scRNA Seq.pdf   2.02 MB 1 version
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    Case Report Nat Med.pdf   2.51 MB 1 version
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    PD1 COVID.pdf   1.35 MB 1 version
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    STING downregulation.pdf   750 KB 1 version


  • 8.  RE: About the COVID-19 Basic and Translational Research Forum

    Posted 03-22-2020 14:26
    Thanks for sharing Dr. Gulley -
    For me there are two interesting observations:
    1) What is the role of CD14+CD16+ monocytes and CD1c+ inflammatory DC in disease clearance?
    2) Most deaths are among older patients with metabolic comorbidity, such as chronic respiratory disease and diabetes. What is the impact of immune metabolism on COVID disease outcomes?
    I also add two relevant references.
    Estimating clinical severity of COVID-19 from the transmission dynamics in Wuhan, China
    Nature Medicine remove preview
    Estimating clinical severity of COVID-19 from the transmission dynamics in Wuhan, China
    As of 29 February 2020 there were 79,394 confirmed cases and 2,838 deaths from COVID-19 in mainland China. Of these, 48,557 cases and 2,169 deaths occurred in the epicenter, Wuhan. A key public health priority during the emergence of a novel pathogen is estimating clinical severity, which requires properly adjusting for the case ascertainment rate and the delay between symptoms onset and death.
    View this on Nature Medicine >
    https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3551369

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    Carsten Krieg PhD
    Assistant Professor
    Medical University of South Carolina
    Charleston SC
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  • 9.  RE: About the COVID-19 Basic and Translational Research Forum

    Posted 03-23-2020 14:05
      |   view attached
    A nice summary of how cytokines are driving ARDS here

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    Evan Lind PhD
    Assistant Professor
    Oregon Health & Science University
    Portland OR
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  • 10.  RE: About the COVID-19 Basic and Translational Research Forum

    Posted 03-23-2020 14:10
      |   view attached
    Also interesting more IgG to virus worse outcome??  Just a measure of viral load, or are the antibodies playing a role in pathogenesis at some point.  Maybe line in dengue hemorrhagic fever targeting virus to myeloid cells via Fc??? Just a thought.

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    Evan Lind PhD
    Assistant Professor
    Oregon Health & Science University
    Portland OR
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    Attachment(s)

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    COVID IgG.pdf   2.79 MB 1 version