UH Team Receives Grant to Study Long-term Consequences and Outcomes of COVID-19 and other Viruses
October 12, 2022
CLEVELAND, Ohio–Nearly three years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is still circulating across the globe, as scientists investigate how it works and how best to treat it. A team at University Hospitals (UH) aims to unearth potential immunologic mechanisms and understanding of COVID-19 upon long-term consequences and outcomes thanks to a grant from the American Lung Association (ALA).
“There is an urgent need to better understand the pathobiology and both long-term and immediate clinical implications of SARS-CoV-2 viral infection that leads to COVID-19’s death rates,” said Kenneth E. Remy, MD, MHSc, MSCI, FCCM, Division of Pulmonary/Critical Care and Pediatric Critical Care at University Hospitals, Principal Investigator for this study, and Ellery Sedgwick, Jr. Chair and Distinguished Scientist in Cardiovascular Research. “The pandemic showed us that we need to increase our knowledge about the potential emerging threat of other novel respiratory viruses. Thanks to this grant, UH will be at the forefront of this work.”
The 2-year, $200,000 grant from the ALA will provide researchers at UH with resources to:
- Gain a new understanding of the basic biology of respiratory viruses that could lead to better treatment and preventionIdentify host factors that alter response to these infections
- Investigate individual, regional, or social factors increasing or decreasing community spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses
- Learn epidemiological approaches to understanding COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses while tracking cases
Dr. Remy and his team, Monty Mazer, MD, pediatric cardiac intensivist, UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, and Rana Hejal, MD, Medical Director, MICU, UH Cleveland Medical Center, received this support from the ALA because of evidence of their ongoing excellence and productivity in the fields of immune phenotyping and surveillance. Dr. Remy’s previous work was among the first in world to demonstrate early in the pandemic the immunosuppressive effects of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Research projects funded by the ALA are carefully selected through rigorous scientific review and awardees represent the investigation of a wide range of complex issues.
For more information about the new grant awardees and ALA research, visit Lung.org/research-team.
Tags: Awards, COVID-19, Infectious diseases, Pulmonology, Research