OUR RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, affects the host immune system causing hyperinflammation and may lead to severe multi-organ dysfunction and death. Therefore, we are working to understand the mechanisms underlying the immune abnormalities in patients with COVID-19 which will help in the development of new therapeutic strategies against COVID-19.
In a new development, our researchers have identified a unique pattern of immune responses that characterize multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) and could serve as a biomarker, or reliable indicator that would help diagnose the disease.
SINAI IMMUNOLOGY REVIEW PROJECT
The team of scientists at PrIISM are working to identify early predictors of disease severity to guide life-saving immunotherapy interventions and discover new therapeutic strategies. This will have transformative and immediate impact on the course of the pandemic. In parallel to these research efforts, we initiated an institutional effort, the Sinai Immunology Review Project, to evaluate the quality of the research of COVID-19 articles posted on the preprint servers bioRxiv and medRxiv and help advance the most significant findings. We have also launched a collaboration with Nature Reviews Immunology to publish short summaries of preprints of particular interest in a weekly column.
PUBLICATIONS
Immunity. Immunology of COVID-19: Current state of the science.
Nature Reviews Immunology. Advancing scientific knowledge in times of pandemics.
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. National outreach of telepalliative medicine volunteers for a New York City safety net system COVID-19 pandemic response.
Nature Medicine. Sampling the host response to SARS-CoV-2 in hospitals under siege.
Health Security. Working upstream in advance care planning in pandemic palliative care.
Nature Medicine. An inflammatory cytokine signature helps predict COVID-19 severity and death.
Gastroenterology. Intestinal inflammation modulates the expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 and potentially overlaps with the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 related disease.
Genetics in Medicine. Individuals with Down syndrome hospitalized with COVID-19 have more severe disease.
The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. Clinical outcomes and features of COVID-19 in patients with primary immunodeficiencies in New York City.
The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. Three patients with X-linked agammaglobulinemia hospitalized for COVID-19 improved with convalescent plasma.