Aziza Nassar, M.D., M.P.H.

The first aim of this study is to verify that the TCR beta sequencing and curation platforms we will be using are able to identify patients with severe COVID-19 based on the TCR repertoires. This may be accomplished by testing and analyzing results between two cohorts: patients presenting acutely to MCF with mild COVID-19 and patients presenting with severe COVID-19. This will be accomplished by utilizing the the immunoSEQ Human T-cell Receptor Beta (hsTCB) Assay (Adaptive Biothechnologies) and the publicly available ImmuneCODE Open Access Database to confirm previously published data (PMID: 34253751). Both procedures will be performed by the company that created both platforms, Adaptive Biothechnologies.

The second aim of this study is to sequence the TCR receptors of participating patients and identify TCR motifs that may indicate a predisposition to (or protection from) severe SARS-CoV-2, leading to possible risk stratification of such patients, and whether or not age, gender or ethnicity has any contribution to said risk. This may require that we examine all three cohorts listed in the Subject Information section.

The third aim is to measure SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike and anti-nucleocapsid antibodies to distinguish patients that have not been exposed to SARS-CoV-2 to those that have been exposed.

The first aim of this study is to verify that the TCR beta sequencing and curation platforms we will be using are able to identify patients with severe COVID-19 based on the TCR repertoires. This may be accomplished by testing and analyzing results between two cohorts: patients presenting acutely to MCF with mild COVID-19 and patients presenting with severe COVID-19. This will be accomplished by utilizing the the immunoSEQ Human T-cell Receptor Beta (hsTCB) Assay (Adaptive Biothechnologies) and the publicly available ImmuneCODE Open Access Database to confirm previously published data (PMID: 34253751). Both procedures will be performed by the company that created both platforms, Adaptive Biothechnologies.

The second aim of this study is to sequence the TCR receptors of participating patients and identify TCR motifs that may indicate a predisposition to (or protection from) severe SARS-CoV-2, leading to possible risk stratification of such patients, and whether or not age, gender or ethnicity has any contribution to said risk. This may require that we examine all three cohorts listed in the Subject Information section.

The third aim is to measure SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike and anti-nucleocapsid antibodies to distinguish patients that have not been exposed to SARS-CoV-2 to those that have been exposed.

The purpose of this study is to compare the concordance of nasopharyngeal and saliva samples using molecular polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing (copying DNA smples).