SeroNet initiative will be studying COVID-19 and its impact on Lung Cancer Patients and GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer is part of a recently-awarded five-year grant from the National Cancer Institute as part of its new SeroNet initiative. This project seeks to uncover whether people with lung cancer, who are uniquely at risk for worse outcomes from COVID-19, have a different antibody response to the virus (SARS-CoV-2) compared to healthy individuals.

The grant, entitled, “Vulnerability of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Lung Cancer Based on Serological Antibody Analyses,” is being led by a multi-institutional team consisting of experts in thoracic oncology, virology, and immunology. As part of this effort, GO2 Foundation will work with researchers at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine to help identify study participants representing special lung cancer populations of interest, including under-represented communities, across its vast national network of Centers of Excellence.

The goal of SeroNet is to address the urgent need to increase our understanding of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 and to increase serological (blood-based) assays and testing capacity. SeroNet is designed to be a synergistic network of eight (8) U54 Centers of Excellence, 13 U01 Research Projects, four (4) Capacity Building Centers, and the Frederick National Lab Serology Laboratory.

Fred Hirsch, MD, PhD and Adolfo Garcia-Sastre, PhD from Mt. Sinai School of Medicine serve as co-principal Investigators. Amy Moore, PhD from GO2 Foundation will serve on the steering committee.

Research conducted as part of SeroNet aims to answer questions such as:

Why do some people who are exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, get sick and others don’t?
What is the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the United States across age groups, racial/ethnic groups, and urban and rural populations?
Why do some people who are infected with SARS-CoV-2 have severe symptoms and others have mild symptoms?
Can people get COVID-19 more than once?
How does disease severity correlate with long-term immunity to reinfection?
What genetic and environmental factors affect the immune response, and how long does immunity last?
Why do people with certain health conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, or heart disease, have an increased risk of developing severe illness from COVID-19?