Revealing genetic regulation of immune response to SARS-CoV2 infection using single-cell omics approaches
Project leader: Prof. Dr. Yang Li
Key areas
- Pathophysiology: immunmodulation and immune control
- Digital infectious medicine: individualised patient care
Who is involved?
- Prof. Dr. Yang Li (Project leader, CiiM)
- Prof. Dr. med. Markus Cornberg (MHH)
What is the aim?
Previous studies have shown that disease severity and immune response are highly variable in COVID-19 patients. To systematically assess the functional relationships between molecular factors and their interactions that determine the immune response to SARS-CoV-2, in this project we will apply "systems immunology approaches" to a broad range of multi-omics data, including DNA variation, epigenetics, transcriptome, and disease phenotypes of COVID-19 patients. We will identify key immune pathway genes and epigenetic markers induced by COVID-19, the immune cell types in which they exert their effects, and reconstruct the genetic regulatory networks underlying COVID-19 infection. This project will facilitate the development of personalised medicine and prevention of infectious diseases including COVID-19.
Publications
- Altered and allele-specific open chromatin landscape reveals epigenetic and genetic regulators of innate immunity in COVID-19. Zhang, B., Zhang, Z., Koeken, V.A.C.M., Kumar, S., Aillaud, M., Tsay, H.-C., Liu, Kraft, A.R.M., Soon, C.F., Odak, I., Bošnjak, B., Vlot, A., Deutsche COVID-19 OMICS Initiative (DeCOI), Swertz, M.A., Ohler, U., Geffers, R., Illig, T., Huehn, J., Saliba, A.E., Sander, L.E., Förster, R., Xu, C.-J., Cornberg, M., Schulte, L.N., Li, Y. Cell Genomics, December 2, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xgen.2022.100232