T Cell Response in COVID-19

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the novel coronavirus responsible for the ongoing, global COVID-19 pandemic. Worldwide, significant efforts are being made to understand the adaptive immune response towards SARS-CoV-2 infection in the hopes of informing the design or efficacy of future vaccines and therapeutics.

To this end, T cells are well known to be vital in the control and clearance of viral infections. Indeed, numerous studies have now demonstrated that the magnitude of the T cell response inversely correlates with COVID-19 disease severity. Since T cells are attractive vaccine targets and could help decrease the severity of COVID-19, there is a keen interest in understanding T cell responses towards SARS-CoV-2. 

Although the SARS-CoV-2-specific literature is immense, studies specifically focussed on understanding the T cell response towards this novel virus are still somewhat limited. Nonetheless, the majority have focused on peripheral virus-specific CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells. However, consideration should also be given to other T cell subsets, including tissue-resident memory (TRM) cells, follicular helper T (TFH) cells, regulatory T (Treg) cells, and less classical, invariant T cell populations, such as γδ T cells and mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells that could play a critical role, especially in specific tissues such as the lungs. 

Additionally, the rapid expansion of literature can make it difficult to find and understand the major findings in the field, and identify which critical areas of research are still limited. We would like to dedicate this collection towards advances in the understanding of SARS-CoV-2 specific T cell immunity. 

We are calling on viral immunity experts to contribute to this Research Topic. We are specifically interested in:

• Original research articles and Brief Research Reports communicating novel and exciting findings on the role of SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells;
• Methods articles to inform of novel protocols that have been specifically designed for the investigation of T cell responses specific for SARS-CoV-2;
• Reviews and Mini-Reviews to summarise the current SARS-CoV-2 T cell-specific literature and help identify key areas of important research that have yet to be undertaken;
• Opinion and Perspective pieces from world-leaders to discuss the current knowledge in the field and share their ideas and opinions on the direction of SARS-CoV-2 specific research.