The formation of germinal centres in the upper airway as a training camp for the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection: a study with Susan Ramirez and Michelle Farber
Then came the COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence of variants, such as Omicron, that proliferate with high efficiency in the upper airway. Ramirez and her colleagues found ways to sample and better understand how the immune cells in the upper airway interact with the pathogens.
The researchers discovered that they could put a needle into the adenoids, which are hidden at the back of the nose. Germinal centres are structures in these organs that analyse air. These structures, which are also found in other immune tissues, act as training camps where the immune agents called B cells learn to make effective antibodies.
The researchers found germinal centers in the adenoids of study participants of all ages and that should be good news for everyone over the age of 20. The researchers also inadvertently found evidence of these germinal centres’ effectiveness: several participants contracted COVID-19 during the study, and the researchers found that these participants’ noses hosted B cells that specialize in targeting SARS-CoV-2.
The authors found active germinal centre even when participants didn’t feel sick, even if they did not report feeling sick. Using this new swabbing technique, researchers might soon understand what’s driving the centres’ activity and how SARS-CoV-2 infection shapes these immune responses, says Donna Farber, an immunologist at Columbia University in New York City, who was not involved with the study.
The findings offer a quantitative method to measure the change in immune response after vaccine use, as well as to test vaccine candidates. She says that they show how high a hill is to climb if the immune system is constantly active in the upper airway.
Blood draws and organ donation can be used to conduct research on the immune system, and this is where the focus has been before, according to the study co-author.
The immune cells in the nose can fight infections like strep throat, according to a new analysis which shows the first line of defence for the lungs.
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